Tag Archives: recommendations

Sep6

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Balm & Sugar Scrub Review

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Bite Beauty Agave Lip Balm & Sugar Scrub Review

Hello! For a while now, my Bite Beauty Agave Lip Balm & Sugar Scrub has been sitting in my bathroom waiting to be used. Since my birthday in June, more specifically, because it was part of my Beauty Insider birthday treat from Sephora. Don’t ask me why I never used it, because I don’t know. But, I am glad that I held off, because it definitely came in handy last week!

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While I was sick with the flu, my skin suffered because I was so dehydrated. My lips took a real beating, and by the time I was feeling better, they were raw from the cracking and peeling. I was picking at them until they bled (Shame on me!), and there still seemed to be dead skin that I wasn’t getting. So, I enlisted the help of the Bite balm and scrub.

First, I used the sugar scrub to buff my lips and try to remove any excess skin that was hanging on. The scrub tasted great – like sugar and honey. It worked well, too! I let it sit on my lips and rubbed them back and forth for a handful of minutes and they felt awesome after wiping the product off. They were so smooth and a good amount of yucky stuff came off, too. But, not all of the huge pieces of skin that hurt too bad to remove came off.

Instead of trying to take matters into my own hands, I applied the balm. The Agave Balm was nice and thick and I put a generous amount on my lips. Both the balm and scrub had a really tasty honey aroma, and the balm sat really well – no budges or anything. After an hour or so, I checked the progress on my lips and was able to remove the rest of the excess pain free. It also helped take away the stinging pain that comes with severely chapped lips.

My lips felt really good after using the sugar scrub and balm duo. It felt amazing to get them back to feeling normal after being so sick and they were even better than how they were before falling ill. I liked this product, and I would love to make a DIY sugar scrub so that I can indulge in this treat more often. I don’t think that I would purchase the Bite Beauty combination, though, just because a cheaper alternative is definitely out there somewhere!

Who has a good sugar scrub recipe? How do you take care of your lips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug30

Sephora Brand Lipstick Review In The Red

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Sephora Brand Lipstick Review In The Red

Hey! After unboxing my goodies from one of Sephora’s Play! boxes, a lot of you took interest in the Sephora brand lipstick that I received in The Red. If you can remember from the swatching post, I definitely didn’t care for this color because of its heavy blue undertones. But, I love you all so much that I thought I would give it a try so that I could accurately review it. Here we go:

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My first impression of this lipstick was that the application for it was quite difficult. It didn’t want to work on the corners of my lips at all. It applied well to my top and bottom lip, but when I got to the corners, color wasn’t even getting on them even though I was rubbing it on. So that kind of sucked. The texture of this lippie is also really creamy, so that made the application a little tricky for me, because I’m so used to matte. It glided on well, but it got everywhere outside of my lips, so touch ups were much needed.

Once the lipstick was on, I put it to the ultimate task of eating lunch and seeing what happened. I had cheese and crackers with mustard to dip it in and I made no efforts to eat carefully. I was really hungry so I was ravenous and I figured that the lippie would be all over my face after that feeding frenzy. But, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it didn’t budge at all, and it was very easy to wipe off afterwards.

After having this Sephora brand lipstick on, I still don’t think that I would use it in a color that I like, because I am not a cream lippie girl. And, the difficulty with applying it was definitely a turn off for me. I wouldn’t recommend this product, though, because there are a lot of other brands that are cheaper and do a cream lipstick much better.

Final Verdict: Don’t bother.

Are you a fan of Sephora brand products? What is your favorite cream lipstick? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug24

Posh Polishes Pt. 2: Londontown Haul

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Posh Polishes Pt. 2: Londontown Haul

Hi everyone! I hope that all of you are having a great week and are looking forward to an exciting weekend ahead of you. Londontown is back with a vengeance for their Fall 2019 collection featuring hues that are so rich and vibrant that I promise you’ve never seen anything like it before. And, did I mention that all of their products are vegan and cruelty free so that you can buy their products guilt free? Yeah, I said it! Londontown’s Fall 2019 collection will make you feel so posh and downright sexy, so I better get to showing the shades off before the anticipation drives you mad! Check it out:

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Seen from top to bottom:

Vendetta: This deep scarlet shade is so fetching for fall and sticks true to its namesake, because nothing makes me think of a Vendetta more than a striking shade of dark red. Londontown keeps this color cool with blue undertones but, don’t let that fool you, because Vendetta is red hot.

Kissed By Rose Gold: The slogan for Londontown’s Fall 2019 collection is “Back with a vengeance”, and it sure does it sweetly with Kissed By Rose Gold. This gorgeous metallic shade gives you just the right amount of sparkle and edginess, emulating this past year’s “it” color to perfection.

Jane Austen: A true heroine wouldn’t be complete without a signature shade, and that’s where Jane Austen comes in. This light hued lavender gives you romance, but the smokiness to it adds drama and mystery. Long story short, I’m sure Jane Austen would approve!

Iconic: Go ahead and make a statement with Iconic, an electric blue that’s sure to shock! This shade allows you to bring some brightness to a grey fall day in a way that’s chic and fashion forward. Revel in the stares and compliments, because this shade is totally Iconic.

Can’t settle on one shade? Fear not! All of these colors compliment each other well, so feel free to give yourself an accent nail or two!

And, don’t forget your base and top coat:

Londontown’s Nail Hardener & Base Coat gives you such amazing benefits that is almost seems too good to be true. Not only does it improve the appearance of dry, brittle nails but, it also prevents staining and creates a durable surface to bond your polish for extended wear, which gives you the most bang for your buck. This product is a base coat and treatment all in one and is an absolute must when giving yourself a mani.

And, of course, it’s a necessity to finish off your spa night by applying a Protective Top Coat to your nails. Londontown’s top coat will give your manicure the power to be chip resistant, super shiny, and well protected against damaging external elements, which also gives you the most bang for your buck! Need I say more about how this product is also an absolute must?

Stand in your power and enter each room throughout the day with a vengeance, thanks to Londontown’s stunning fall collection. And, if you can’t think of a catchphrase better than “Back with a vengeance”, then it’s totally okay to let your nails do the talking!

What is your favorite color from this post? Who plans on shopping Londontown soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul25

July 2018 Finishes

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July 2018 Finishes

Hello everyone and happy Hump Day! Can you believe that another month of 2018 is nearing an end? Before we know it, we’ll be ringing in the holiday season and celebrating the start of 2019. Time continues to fly, and you all know what that means! A monthly finishes post, of course! Take a look at my empties and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Le Petit Marseiliais Vanilla Milk shower cream: YES
  • Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water: YES
  • The Body Shop Strawberry scrub: YES
  • The Body Shop Oils Of Life serum: YES
  • 40 Carrots moisturizer: YES

Why/Why Not?

LPM Shower Cream: Although this brand name might be a bitch to spell out, this shower cream is so not a bitch to use! As all of you know, I looove all vanilla everything and this cream had the most richest, delicious vanilla scent I’ve ever used. The cream was hydrating as all get out, and my skin was left feeling silky smooth after every shower. It took me about two months to finish this product.

Garnier Micellar Water: Am I the biggest fan of micellar water? No. But, is it a cheap alternative to buying a toner and makeup remover? Yes. Garnier easily has the best cleansing water that I’ve used thus far and it lasted me a decently long time considering I use it daily – over a month and a half. It’s a good value and it’s an all in one product and I can definitely get down with that.

TBS Scrub: A scrub is an essential part of my routine when I’m shaving and I literally couldn’t imagine taming the Woolly Mammoth legs without it. We all know this by now. I got about six full body uses out of the mini sized scrub, which is not bad at all!

TBS Serum: I really, really like this product, and I was super happy because after using my other bottle, my mom gave me hers to finish up. The Oils Of Life serum hydrates the living hell out of your skin and it sits amazingly well under makeup. This serum ranges on the more pricey side of products from The Body Shop, but a little lasts a long way and it took me over two months to finish half of a bottle of it.

40 Carrots Moisturizer: My beauty queen sister gave me this moisturizer out of her reject pile of products and I enjoyed it well enough. I liked how hydrating it was and that you didn’t need to use a ton of it to make your skin feel well taken care of for the day. This moisturizer was thicker in texture but it sat under makeup with no problem. It took me over a month to finish half of a jar of the moisturizer so, from a value side, I would definitely use this again.

July brought along some new and old favorites for me to enjoy and I am satisfied with each product that I finished up. I would recommend all of the above empties and would gladly use them again, myself.

Have you used any of the products seen above? What are your thoughts on them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul24

Face Mask Festivities: Nubian Heritage Mud Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Nubian Heritage Mud Mask Edition

Hello everyone and a happy Tuesday to all of you! In today’s surprise edition of Face Mask Festivities, we are going to discuss a mud mask by Nubian Heritage. I say surprise, because I wasn’t expecting to have another FMF post for a while but, then, my mom bought this mask ON THE CHEAP at Target! How can you say no to an originally fifteen dollar mask for five bucks?! Lol, take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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In all honesty, this mask was not my favorite and I feel disappointed by that, because I LOVED the texture of it. It felt so cool to the touch and the consistency was like BUTTAH! It was so smooth and creamy and it felt amazing when I applied it. And, then, it remained that way on my face for the entire ten minutes that I had it on. It didn’t dry, it didn’t harden, and it felt like it didn’t do NOTHIN. When I washed it off, it felt exactly how it felt when I first put it on my hands, so it left me feeling like it didn’t even work. It was really weird.

I will say, that the blackheads on my nose look a bit better, and the scent of the mask was nice and earthy. BUT, its lack of a change of consistency when the mask was supposedly doing its thing left a lot to be desired. And, now I see why this was marked down to five dollars! #smh

Has anyone else used this Nubian Heritage mask before? How did you feel about it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul21

Londontown Pampering Party

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Londontown Pampering Party

Hello everyone and happy weekend to all of you! As we all know by now, Lil Red is a nail girl and I would be nothing without my beloved talon acrylics. I think this deep love for being pampered in terms of my nails comes from my beautiful grandma, because I can always remember how much she enjoyed having her nails painted with lovely shades of seashell pinks.

I am lucky enough to be pampered every four to five weeks or so when I get my nails filled. My mom, on the other hand, doesn’t get to enjoy the luxury of a manicure, because with the intense medical treatment that she’s under, she wants to avoid any more chemicals on her body than need be. This is perfectly understandable, of course!

But, this doesn’t mean that sweet JANE doesn’t want her nails looking as nice as possible, so I decided to treat her to a fabulous cuticle treatment by Londontown. Londontown is an amazing nail and hand care brand that is dedicated to strengthening nails and nourishing hands in the most natural way possible. Their products use a variety of different oils and essential vitamins to show your phalanges some love, and I knew that it would be the perfect surprise to give to my mom. Take a look:

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^^^ In order, you can see my mom’s nails without treatment, with the treatment on, and after the treatment was finished.

Londontown’s Nourishing Cuticle Oil treatment worked wonders on my mom, and she has now deemed herself “obsessed” with it. We had a blast playing beauty shop together as I applied the product and we watched as it worked its magic. Our first impression of the treatment was its scent. It smelled herbal and sweet without being overly pungent or perfumey. This was so nice, because that’s actually one of my mom’s favorite scent styles and it made us eager to apply it and see if it works as good as it smells!

Before using Londontown’s Nourishing Cuticle Oil treatment, my mom’s cuticles were really dry and brittle. They looked so ready to be removed, and I was really hoping that this product would be as good as anticipated, because if anyone deserves to be pampered – it’s my mother. Lucky for us, we didn’t have to wait long to see if this treatment was the one for her, because almost instantly upon application, she could feel it moisturizing the problem areas on her nails.

Not only was the treatment so nourishing, but its consistency did so in a non-greasy manner, which is so important to both of us when it comes to our beauty products. Its texture was not thick but, rather, quite thin and it stayed on the nail well without running onto the towel under my mom’s hands. #wastenotwantnot

After the Nourishing Cuticle oil was on my mom’s nails for a few minutes, she pushed her cuticles back, removed them as best as she could, and then I applied some more treatment. Neither of us are nail experts, by and means, but in just one use her nails looked so much better. My mom said that she felt so spoiled to be using the treatment and it made her nails look pretty without polish, which was the goal all along. ❤

Be sure to tune in next week to see my new acrylics featuring some gorgeous nail polish shades by Londontown!

How do you pamper your hands and nails? How do you create a spa night in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: I can’t make this up. As I write this, my mom literally walked down the stairs while rubbing in the cuticle treatment and goes “Sarah, I’m addicted to this. I just feel like my nails look better”. So it definitely has the Sarah & Jane Seal Of Approval! Thanks, Londontown!

Jul17

Face Mask Festivities: Freeman Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Freeman Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask Edition

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! Until I acquire more face masks, this will be the last Face Mask Festivities post on lifewithlilred for a while. But, it has been a hoot trying out four different masks and I’m looking forward to trying out some of the ones that my wonderful readers have recommended next! To wrap things up, we are going to talk about Freeman’s Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask, so take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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I am a huge fan of all things avocado and oatmeal when it comes to skin care, and it was nice to use a mask with those ingredients that wasn’t a massive disappointment like the one I tested from CVS in May. This clay mask by Freeman really was just right and it left my skin feeling completely cleansed without being starved for moisture.

I love the way that this avocado and oatmeal mask smells, for starters. It doesn’t have the scent of either of its main ingredients but, rather, smells oh so creamy and rich. The lush, heavy cream aroma went hand in hand with the texture of the mask. It was thick without being too thick and spread perfectly during application.

The best part about this mask, however, was the fact that when it dried, it didn’t leave my skin feeling as dry as the desert along with it. It was easy to wash off and, after applying my moisturizing routine, my skin felt amazing. It had a vaguely cool feeling to it and my pores felt like they were taking a huge sigh of happiness. I would definitely recommend this mask for what it is – a simple product done exceedingly well. 10/10 would use again!

What are your favorite ingredients when it comes to face masks? How do you care for you skin after you wash your mask off? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul12

Face Mask Festivities: Freeman’s Charcoal + Black Sugar Gel Mask & Scrub Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Freeman’s Charcoal + Black Sugar Gel Mask & Scrub Edition

Hello darlings and welcome to a riveting new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to be discussing another Freeman mask, which consisted of charcoal and black sugar. We all know that I love all charcoal everything, so this gel mask was an obvious hit for me! Take a look and let’s get to it:

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^^^ Peep that freshly dyed hair! 😀

In my humble opinion, charcoal products have been the most major game changer since Vitamin C skin care. It detoxifies, it cleanses, and it leaves the skin simply glowing after all of the gunk that’s been clogging your pores has been rinsed away. And, of course, this Freeman mask did all of that, which left for a really satisfying face mask experience.

The best part about this mask is the texture, because it isn’t your standard clay mask. This Freeman gel mask is a sugar scrub, too, so you got to exfoliate your skin while you were washing it off. And, speaking of texture, this mask literally never over dries. I had my mask on for the entire forty minutes that my hair dye was setting and it stayed the same consistency as when I first applied it until I washed it off. So amazing!

After giving my face a good scrub when rinsing my mask off, my skin felt so good. This Freeman mask gave my face such a deep clean and it was nothing short of invigorating. My pores feel like they can breathe, my blackheads are gone, and I would happily use this mask again.

Who else is a charcoal product fan? How do you keep pesky blackheads at bay? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun25

O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair Lip Balm Review

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O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair Lip Balm Review

Howdy! So, normally, I’m not a huge lip balm kind of gal. I’m notorious for licking it off my lips if it tastes good, I hate the little white flecks that form on your mouth after wearing it for a while, and sometimes my lips feel even dryer after applying the LIP CHAP in the first place. But, then I tried this here O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair Lip Balm and my opinion changed drastically. Check it out:

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Weirdly enough, this lip balm was given to me FO FREE at the Cleveland Zoo when I went last week. It was so random, but I’m glad for it, because I can’t get enough of this stuff. Why, you might ask? Because…

  1. It’s unscented, so I’m not eating chapstick all day because it smells so good. There is probably so much Lip Smackers in my belly from my childhood!
  2. I’ve applied this product several times since I got it, and I haven’t had one single white fleck problem on my mouth.
  3. The texture is thick (But not too thick!), and my lips feel hydrated after using it as opposed to thirsting for another application.
  4. Because this balm is so rich, it leaves your lips with a gorgeous creamy color instead of anything too glossy or sticky.

I’m not one to gab about lip balm, but I really am gaga over this one and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. You won’t be disappointed!

What is your favorite brand of lip balm? Have you used any O’Keeffe products before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May25

May 2018 Finishes

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May 2018 Finishes

Hello everyone and TGIF! If you can believe it, another month is almost done here on lifewithlilred! And guess what that means – IT’S ALMOST MY BIRTHDAY! I will be turning 24 on June 7th, so do be sure to mark it in your calendars! 😉 But I digress, so let’s get on to viewing this month’s finishes:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Le Petit Marseiliais White Peach & Nectarine shower gel: YES
  • Simple Micellar Cleansing Water: YES
  • The Body Shop Satsuma scrub: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C moisturizer: YES
  • The Body Shop Oils Of Life serum: YES
  • Tarte Amazonian Clay blush: YES

Why/Why Not?

LPM Shower Gel: This shower gel and brand in general is awesome. The White Peach & Nectarine scent was so invigorating every morning and, although this was a gel and not a creme, I was still left feeling moisturized after my shower. I finished this body wash in about two and a half months and I am looking forward to using the two other scents that I have by Le Petit Marseiliais soon!

Simple Micellar Water: Even though I am not a huge fan of micellar water, it is way cheaper than eye makeup remover so I am okay with it! I can’t say much for the Simple brand, because I don’t really like it. BUT, I just purchased a bottle of Garnier cleansing water, so we’ll see if I like that kind better. It took me close to two months to finish this bottle.

TBS Scrub: The scrubs from The Body Shop are a must for me when I am shaving and the Satsuma scent is always amazing! I got this as part of a Christmas gift and I got about seven uses out of one of the mini sized bottles.

TBS Moisturizer: I LOVED the Vitamin C moisturizer from The Body Shop. It lasted me two months, it sat well under makeup, and my skin felt nice and hydrated after each use. I would definitely use this again and I hope that they have it back at TJMaxx soon! 😀

TBS Serum: And, of course, I loved the Oils Of Life Serum from The Body Shop, too. One bottle lasted me for five and a half months of daily use, it sat well under makeup, AND MY SKIN FELT NICE AND HYDRATED AFTER EACH USE!!!!!! I am lucky, because I have one more bottle of this and I know that it will last me for close to another half a year!

Tarte Blush: Normally, I don’t write about makeup finishes, but this Tarte blush is different. I got it for my Sephora birthday freebie last June and I JUST FINISHED IT last week. This was my most used blush for the year. The color was gorgeous and I wish that it wasn’t just a one time birthday color. 😥

May brought me a lot more finishes than normal and it was fun being able to use up all of them – especially since I enjoyed each product so much!

Have you used any of the products seen above? What are your thoughts on them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah