Tag Archives: review

Nov8

Lil Red’s Book Club: Not A Happy Family By Shari Lapena Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Not A Happy Family By Shari Lapena Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, without giving any spoilers away, we will be discussing Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena. I got this book in large print from the library and, is it just me, or does reading a large print book go by way faster than a normal print? After a mere five reading sessions, I was done with this four hundred and twenty-two page thriller and it was one that I enjoyed a lot! Now, let’s get to it:

Sheila and Fred Merton are, for lack of better words, filthy rich. Fred made his fortune in robotics and they boast a sprawling estate and a net worth upwards of thirty million. Fred is proud of his life as a businessman but of his children… Not so much, and it all comes to light on a particularly awful Easter dinner when Catherine, Dan, and Jenna’s father screams his poison in a drunken rage. While his disappointment is nothing new, his extreme anger is a surprise but no one is ready for what happens next when Fred and Sheila are found murdered in their own home.

The bodies of the Merton parents are discovered by their long term nanny turned housekeeper and the police investigation begins immediately with the children as their prime suspects. First, we have the eldest sister named Catherine. She is a dermatologist and married to Ted, who both enjoy the finer things in life. Dan is the middle child who is married to Lisa and are currently in a desperate financial situation. Fred also happened to refuse and degrade him when he asked for a loan on Easter Sunday. And, finally, we have Jenna who is the baby of the family. She is a starving artist with a new fling every week, a violent streak, and is currently living off of a monthly allowance from her parents.

Any one of the Merton children could have committed the double murder but who? All of them have secrets to hide about the night of the murder and with their partners lying for them and siblings backing each other up, it sends the detectives on a wild goose chase with the possibility that the case could go cold. Each Merton child has a lot to lose and a fortune to gain from the wills of Sheila and Fred so whodoneit? Read Not A Happy Family to find out!

I have been pretty unimpressed with the books that I have read recently and Not A Happy Family kept me on my toes until the very last page. This was definitely a nice change of pace and, for once, I couldn’t figure out the grand reveal so I really liked it! Not A Happy Family was an unputdownable read with red herrings at every turn of the page, especially because the children weren’t the only players in the investigation. The housekeeper, aunt, and a family friend are all potential suspects too which added to the confusion and suspense of the case.

This book changed narrators either every chapter or paragraph between the children, their partners, or other suspects who all have a lot of money to gain from the murder of Fred and Sheila. I love this type of format and it added so much urgency because you couldn’t put each person’s puzzle pieces together consistently. Just when I thought that I knew who did it, I read another few paragraphs and my opinion would change drastically.

I can’t recommend Not A Happy Family enough if you are looking for a fast paced murder mystery and am awarding it with an eight out of ten stars. Although it wasn’t a groundbreaking story line, it had me hooked and happily reading for hours on end. If you like playing detective as much as I do, then you are going to love this book!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov6

Face Mask Festivities: Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to discuss the Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask that I got as a freebie during my last Sephora haul. There are some things that I like about this mask and others that I don’t so let’s get to it and you can decide if it’s worth the buy or not:

I have been using this mask morning and night for the past several days and, as you can see, it is fairly thick in texture. Despite that, it applies so easily which I wasn’t expecting at all. In fact, I don’t think that I have ever used a skin care product that applies and absorbs into your skin in one go. One sweep on my face of this mask and I was done. This was definitely a novelty that I enjoyed and was pleasantly surprised by.

Although these were all good things, the buck stopped there. I expected this mask to be ultra hydrating and that just wasn’t there. After continued use, I noticed no real differences in the way my skin looked or felt. Rather, my normal skin care routine provided everything that I wanted this mask to do and more. And, at almost fifty dollars for a full sized tube, I think that I will be sticking to my drugstore brands, thank you very much.

While I love trying out new products compliments of Sephora freebies, I am always pleased to see that my cheaper brands tend to work better than anything with an expensive price tag. If you are looking for a new face mask to try, I would say to skip on the Jet Lag one by Summer Fridays. You’d be surprised at how much more bang for your buck you can get at your local drugstore or the skin care section of TJMaxx!

Have you ever used this face mask before? What did you think of it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct30

October 2021 Finishes

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October 2021 Finishes

Hello! Sadly, official spooky season is drawing to a close which means that it’s time to discuss my beauty finishes for the month. It also commences spooky season all year round for Johnny and I lol! Last month, we had a ton of beauty finishes to discuss while today we only have a mere three so this will be a short and sweet post. Also, make sure you tune in tomorrow to see some Halloween accessories that I purchased when Johnny and I went costume shopping. 😀 Now, lets get to it:

Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

e.l.f. Eye Cream: Prior to the pandemic, I was loyal to the SkinLab products and loved their gel eye cream that I could purchase at TJMaxx. Unfortunately, my monthly TJs trips ended due to COVID and I turned to Amazon for my beauty products. I was surprised to see the gel eye cream that I would normally buy for seven dollars was selling for twenty and I couldn’t bring myself to make the purchase. So, I began searching for cheaper but effective eye creams, instead, and ended up with the Holy Hydration! cream by e.l.f..

I bought this eye cream because it received great reviews on Amazon and was only six dollars. Despite the almost five star rating, I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t a little wary of just how cheap this eye cream was which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I fell in love with it. The Holy Hydration! eye cream lasted me close to two months and in that time, I noticed that the sensitive skin around my eyes felt smoother and oh so hydrated and my designer bags were decreased too. 😀

For the price, you just can’t beat this eye cream and I highly recommend it. This just goes to show that you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg for your skin care! If you would like to read about my other finishes that have already been discussed, be sure to check out the linked posts. ❤

What is your favorite drug store skin care brand? Which products did you use up this month? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct25

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Spires By Kate Moretti Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Spires By Kate Moretti Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, we are going to be discussing The Spires by Kate Moretti – without giving any spoilers away, of course. 🙂 The Spires was a fast paced read that I finished after a mere four reading sessions. Although it wasn’t my favorite, it definitely qualified as unputdownable as twists and turns seemed to happen with every short chapter. Now, let’s get to it:

Bland, rational, shy Penelope has been living her life on autopilot for the past year. With her unemployed husband not picking up any extra slack, Penelope has been forced to juggle absolutely everything – A demanding job, cooking, cleaning, and two children with tons of extra curriculars. She is run down, exhausted, and closer to reaching her breaking point with every passing day. But, with the arrival of a friend who she hasn’t seen in twenty years on her doorstep, her busy life becomes the least of her problems.

Willa and Penelope were best friends in college and lived with each other and three other roommates for a year after graduating. Willa was the resident life of the party in the renovated church that they lived in, which made her state at Penelope’s door startling. She was terrified of the abusive ex that she escaped from and needed a place to stay.

At first, Willa was a welcome guest in Penelope’s home. She cooked delicious meals, cleaned, and helped out with the kids. Then, things started turning very suspicious. Jewelry of Penelope’s began turning up missing, major boundaries in the home were being crossed, and photos of her life that she can’t recall anyone taking appeared in her bedroom. The worst part? No one believes Penelope, which leaves her questioning her own sanity and sinking further back into her history and the tragedy that took place in the church house.

With no one in her corner, Penelope goes at it alone and the secrets that she uncovers about Willa unravel her even more. In a shocking final stand off where it all began, the truth of the tragedy at the church house is revealed as well as one more grand reveal that will make your jaw drop. Will Penelope survive the show down? Read The Spires to find out!

What I liked the most about The Spires was its format. No one loves a back and forth setup more than Lil Red and this book alternated from Penelope in present and past day to present day Willa. The chapters were short and sweet which is what made it so hard to put down because just a few more pages would uncover even more game changers. And, we all know that just a few more pages means you end up reading fifty more!

While I enjoyed the story line of The Spires because it was different than anything I have read before, I wasn’t particularly fond of any of the characters. Penelope bored me, her husband drove me crazy, and Willa was SO annoying. Not feeling any type of connection to any of the main players made for a lackluster reading experience despite a riveting plot.

Overall, The Spires is one that you could take or leave and I am going to award it with five and a half out of ten stars. These stars were given for the unique plot and enjoyable format. Had I liked even one character, it would have been a much higher star rating. If you are looking for a quick read, give The Spires a try. If you are looking for something deeper than that, it is one that you can pass on.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct20

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops In Moonlight Swatch

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Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops In Moonlight Swatch

Howdy! I am so appreciative to my sister for always giving me her makeup that she no longer wants for the sake of swatching on lifewithlilred. Granted, I haven’t used a majority of her hand me downs because our styles are so different BUT these swatch posts give further insight for people who might be interested in them and that’s all that matters! Today, we are going to be discussing the Custom Enhancer Drops by Cover FX in Moonlight. Let’s get to it:

These drops by Cover FX can be used as a highlighter and I actually like the Moonlight color a lot. However, it is much too intense for my liking! I have never used a liquid highlighter before and much prefer a powder one, myself. But the cool thing about these drops is that you can use as much or as little as you like over or on top of makeup. Did I mention that the color is intense? My swatch consisted of a mere two drops!

I don’t think I would feel comfortable wearing the Custom Enhancer Drops for daily use. Although it could be fun to break out for a New Year’s Eve celebration for an ultra glam look. Cover FX has seven different colors of the drops and I think that I like Glistening Pearl the best. It’s much more toned down than Moonlight and, if given the opportunity, I might be able to get away with wearing it during the day. 😮

Do you prefer a liquid or powder highlighter? How do you achieve a glam makeup look? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep28

September 2021 Finishes

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September 2021 Finishes

Howdy! September was a super exciting time for Lil Red as I completed my 1,000 day streak of writing! It was also a hugely successful month for product empties because I got to finish up a lot of the skin and bath and body care that I had been using for a while. Some of these products were new to me too, which is always fun! Take a look at my empties and let’s discuss:

Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Body Wash: Other than apple, vanilla is one of my favorite scents and I was really eager to try Bath & Body Works interpretation of Vanilla Bean. It definitely didn’t disappoint and this is actually one of my favorite scents that I have tried from them. While I love vanilla, I hate when it is scented too strongly or too sweet. B&BW’s Vanilla Bean was nice and light and wasn’t sugary in the slightest. It took me a month and a half to finish one bottle.

Tree Of Life Serum: For some reason, Amazon has stopped selling the Eclat Vitamin C serum that I was using and I was so disappointed! The Eclat serum had an unbeatable price (seven dollars) and my skin had never looked better when I was using it. The Tree Of Life Vitamin C serum was the next cheapest alternative (ten dollars) that still had good ratings so I gave it a shot.

This serum is much thicker than the Eclat one, which is nice because you don’t need to use as much of it. Most importantly, it worked well on my skin and gives an extra boost of brightness and radiance. My main qualm with this product isn’t so much the product itself as it is with the dropper. It is so short that by the time you finish two thirds of the bottle, you have to start tipping it out into your hands because it can’t reach the rest. Annoying? Totally. Deal breaker? No.

LANEIGE Mask: I so enjoyed using the Berry Lip Sleeping Mask by LANEIGE, which you can read about more in the linked post. It took me almost four months to complete the tiny sample sized jar!

TBS Mask: The Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask was, easily, one of the worst products that I have used by The Body Shop. That is really saying something because I have a deep love for most of their products. After twelve or so uses of this mask, I still didn’t notice any type of difference in my skin afterwards. Whomp Whomp.

TBS Eye Cream: On the contrary, the Vitamin E eye cream from The Body Shop is the absolute best! My favorite thing about this eye cream is that it literally lasts for forever and it took me about three months of morning and night uses to complete the tube. This eye cream makes the delicate skin around my eyes feel so moisturized and stronger too. It also does wonders in decreasing the designer bags under my eyes which isn’t so bad, either. 😀

Like I mentioned before, I finished a lot of products this September and almost all of them were a success. Here’s to pampering products for all in October!

Which products did you finish up this month? What is your favorite eye cream? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep27

Lil Red’s Book Club: False Witness By Karin Slaughter Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: False Witness By Karin Slaughter Edition

Hi everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, we will be discussing a book called False Witness by Karin Slaughter – without giving any spoilers away, of course. Before we begin, however, I will be placing an extreme trigger warning on this book and post. False Witness covers every type of abuse imaginable, violence, rape, and drug addiction. It is definitely not a book to be read by the faint of heart. With that in mind, let’s get to it:

Big sister Leigh and little sis Callie spent their childhood in poverty and immersed in abuse at the hands of adults who should have been protecting them. Finally, the hunted became the hunters and the sisters murdered one of their abusers – the father of the child that Callie was babysitting. They cleaned house, covered their tracks, and lived their lives as if nothing happened afterwards.

To cope, Leigh worked hard to the point of obsessive and became a defense attorney for a major law firm. Callie, on the other hand, turned to hard drugs to ease her pain from scars both mental and physical. She would show up in Leigh’s life occasionally to steal money and possessions but mainly lived on the streets or seedy motels.

For over twenty years, the girls thought that they had gotten away with the perfect crime and did their best to keep it in the back of their minds. That is, until Leigh is hired to defend a new client on brutal rape charges. Who is he? None other than the boy that they babysat all of those years ago.

Andrew Tenant is clearly guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and everyone seems to know it. However, he expects to get off scot free because he has leverage over Leigh that will incriminate both her and Callie if she doesn’t succeed in trial… He knows that they killed his father. How, you may ask? Read False Witness to find out!

Let me start off by saying that False Witness in its entirety was insanely hard to read. Its content was nothing short of heartbreaking and deeply disturbing. Having said that, it was a book that kept my attention to the very end with twists, turns, and complete curve balls on every page.

The subject matter was, at times, unbearable. However, Karin Slaughter crafted the two sisters in such a way that I was rooting for them harder than I have for any other character in the books that I have read recently. Despite their flaws, both Leigh and Callie were likeable, smart, so strong, and sometimes absolutely hilarious. In fact, I liked them even more because of everything that they have gone through.

Slaughter hit hard in this book to the point that it was almost grueling. She shined a light on very real issues and wrote in such a way that it felt like you were reading a true story. The sense of urgency in this book was palpable. There were also delicious moments of comic relief that had me in stitches, which was much needed and appreciated.

I am going to award Karin Slaughter’s False Witness with a six out of ten star rating. While I can’t say that I enjoyed this book due to its graphic nature, I loved how it was written as well as the two main characters. If you can stomach it, False Witness is certainly worth the read. If not, please don’t bother with it because it is not worth damaging your own mental health.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Sep12

Pikin’ & Grinnin’

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Pikin’ & Grinnin’

Hello! First of all, major props to whomever got the Hee Haw reference of this post title! Second of all, I have been absolutely loving the waterpik that I purchased after my visit to the periodontist last week. During my appointment, I was so pleased to learn that my dental problems had remained stable during my long stint of no check ups thanks to the pandemic. To continue improving the issues, I bought a waterpik as soon as I got home as per the recommendations of the professionals:

I am still getting used to using my new waterpik and literally every review I have read on them was right – it is very messy at first! I have had to resort to laying a bath towel around the sink because the water just gets everywhere. I know that these mini flash floods in my bathroom will come to a halt once I get better at using the waterpik, though, so that is not a deterrent in the slightest.

I also read on the reviews for the waterpik that I bought that it was incredibly noisy but I haven’t found that to be true at all. It has the noise you would expect from a product like this – nothing more, nothing less. Even if it were obnoxiously loud, you can’t beat the price of this waterpik (about seventy dollars) for how well it works and all of the different accessories that comes with it.

This waterpik included five different tips which will help in different ways:

  • Plaque seeker tip: This one needs no further explanation
  • Toothbrush tip: Neither does this one
  • Tongue cleaner tip: Or this one
  • Orthodontic tip: This one is good for people with braces
  • Pik pocket tip: This is the one that I use as it gets deep into the periodontal pockets for an intense clean

I have been using my waterpik with the pik pocket tip every morning and night and my gums have already started to feel better. They are not as tender and I feel them getting healthier with every use. Dare I say it, I am almost looking forward to my next appointments with my dentist and periodontist because this is going to improve my oral hygiene tenfold and I think that they are going to be proud! 😀

Do you use a waterpik? How do you feel about going to the dentist? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep7

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Last Thing He Told Me By Laura Dave Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Last Thing He Told Me By Laura Dave Edition

Hello and welcome to a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, we are going to be discussing a thriller by Laura Dave called The Last Thing He Told Me – without giving any spoilers away, of course. This book kept me on the edge of my seat with twists and turns on every page and an ending that almost made my cry. I simply could not put it down and devoured it in less than a week! Now, let’s get to it:

Hannah and Owen have been married for about a year and everything is going picture perfect. They live in a charming houseboat with Owen’s teenage daughter, Bailey, in Sausalito, California and Hannah constantly wonders how she got so lucky. Even though Bailey is not particularly thrilled over the relationship!

Hannah thinks that she knows everything there is to know about Owen until he doesn’t return home from work. Instead of calling, he has a note delivered to their front door with the simple message of “Protect her.” on it. Shortly after Hannah receives the note, we learn that the CEO of the tech company that her husband works for has been indited for major fraud and embezzlement. Fast forward a few days later and Owen has seemingly disappeared without a trace… That is, except for the huge bag of cash he left in Bailey’s locker at school.

As if Hannah didn’t have enough to stress about, the FBI and U.S. Marshals are hot on her trail and she knows that she needs to act fast to save herself, her step daughter, and husband. With the unlikely help of Bailey, they begin to uncover dark secrets of Owen’s past that could put all of them in unspeakable danger. This begs the question of if Hannah and Bailey really even knew him at all.

The Last Thing He Told Me was a fast paced, urgent read because every twist that occurred put everyone closer to being in harm’s way. This is why I couldn’t stop reading if I tried and it was definitely a nice change of pace from the lackluster Such A Quiet Place, which I finished recently. The Last Thing He Told Me also offered a story line that was incredibly unique which made trying to figure out the grand reveal pretty difficult. There were some things I got right and others that I missed and that made it even better.

What I liked the most about The Last Thing He Told Me were all of the different emotions that I felt while reading. Hannah and Bailey’s anxiety was palpable and they were both so easy to root for as they were thrown into such a life altering situation. I felt bad that Hannah’s fairy tale was cut short and awful that the only parent Bailey has left had disappeared off the face of the Earth. This made all of their discoveries and final heart wrenching sentence even more triumphant to the point that I was almost moved to tears.

I really can’t go into detail about Owen’s past because it would ruin the point of reading this book. I can tell you, however, that if you like a good thriller, then The Last Thing He Told Me is definitely worth the read. I am going to award it with an eight out of ten star rating. Laura Dave delivered with flawed but insanely likeable characters and a book that will keep you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend it!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Aug31

Lil Red’s Book Club: Such A Quiet Place By Megan Miranda Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Such A Quiet Place By Megan Miranda Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Without giving any spoilers away, of course, we are going to be discussing a thriller called Such A Quiet Place by Megan Miranda. Was it the best book I have ever read? No. Was it the worst? Still no. Now, let’s get to it:

Hollow’s Edge is a beautiful neighborhood where everyone knows everyone. The home owners consider themselves a family and you can often find them at each other’s places having coffee and barbecues or lounging together at the community pool. Not only is their free time spent with each other but their work lives also mingle as many of the neighbors are employed at the local college. It is a picture perfect place for thirty somethings to truly begin their adult lives with family or blossoming careers. However, if we know anything about thrillers, we know that Hollow’s Edge is anything but picture perfect.

A year and a half ago, the community was turned upside down by the murders of Brandon and Fiona Truett via carbon monoxide poisoning. With the utmost cooperation from the Hollow’s Edge residents, twenty-five year old Ruby Fletcher was convicted of murder and sent to prison. The neighborhood was completely shaken and everyone tried to move back to some sense of normality. That is, until Ruby’s charges were dropped after she served fourteen months thanks to an excellent lawyer and new evidence.

After being released from prison, Ruby waltzes back into Hollow’s Edge as if nothing happened. She invites herself back into the home she shared with her old roommate, Harper, and begins plotting her revenge for the wrongful conviction. Her erratic behavior frightens the community and they are sure that a murderer is walking freely around their tight knit neighborhood.

The people of Hollow’s Edge try their best to ignore Ruby but it is with much difficulty with every twist and turn she presents. And, when she is reported dead after a Fourth of July party, it becomes impossible. Are there two murderers in the neighborhood? Or was Ruby’s death just collateral for desperate community members trying to save face? Read Such A Quiet Place to find out!

Given the description, you would think that Such A Quiet Place would be right up Lil Red’s alley because I love a good thriller. And I did like this book. The story line was different than anything I had read before and that, in itself, is a huge plus. The grand reveal wasn’t the grandest ever, though, and I had figured it out well before the book was over despite all of the red herrings. While I do enjoy solving the major twist in thrillers, I like being completely blindsided better.

Megan Miranda’s writing style didn’t help the cause, either. This is not to say the book was poorly written because it wasn’t. However, I never got a deeper understanding of any of the characters because it was always skirted around with their outward cattiness. The book wasn’t boring, per se, but it’s not much fun to read about an entire neighborhood of people who are exactly the same.

I can’t say that I particularly cared for any of the characters in Such A Quiet Place. Although they were all pretty shitty people, it is nice to have someone to root for in a book and I just didn’t feel that connection to any of them. So, even when the plot twist finally revealed itself, I still felt underwhelmed.

Such A Quiet Place is a read that you could take or leave and I am going to award it with a five out of ten star rating. This thriller really didn’t do much for me but I did like the unique story line. Whomp whomp.

Which book are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah