Hi! During a recent Sephora haul, I got a ton of free goodies including a sample size of a Water Sleeping Mask by Laneige. I was really excited about this face mask because I absolutely love the jelly style sleep masks – especially the Drops Of Youth and Vitamin E Sleep Masks by The Body Shop. I am always up for trying new skin care products and I look forward to testing different brands out from Sephora because I consider them to be a bit more “high end”.
Unfortunately, an expensive price tag doesn’t always mean a high quality product and the Water Sleeping Mask by Laneige left me feeling no type of way. Let’s discuss:
What I love the most about the Drops Of Youth and Vitamin E masks from The Body Shop is the sensation I get when I wake up. My skin feels so nourished and hydrated and it feels like absolute peaches and cream perfection. I just didn’t get this feeling in the morning with the Laneige mask or even when I first applied it.
I enjoyed the texture of the product because I never say no to a good jelly style moisturizer or mask and the light aquatic scent was also nice. Sadly, that was about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy I got to test this product out for many reasons. 1) I didn’t have to commit to a full size jar. 2) It was free. 3) I get to write about it here. And 4) It served as a reminder that, often times, a “lower end” brand is just as good if not better than something uber expensive.
Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend this mask but it makes me highly recommend the ones I mentioned from The Body Shop even more!
Do you have a favorite face mask? What are your thoughts on the one by Laneige if you have used it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi! This past week, I treated my mom to a pampering party with some amazing products by Londontown. My sweet mother, JANE, tested out the Nourishing Cuticle Oil and Restorative Nail Cream and fell in love with the Londontown brand as much as I have. Of course, I would have liked to use these products myself, but they wouldn’t have been much good over top of my talons! But, it was even more fun letting my mom get the royal treatment because we always revel in the chance to play beauty shop. 🙂 Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:
Nourishing Cuticle Oil:
Restorative Nail Cream:
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^^^ Peep my claws in Londontown’s Buckingham Blue and Electric Avenue!
My mom is the literal queen of surprising her loved ones with beautiful gifts that catch her eye when she’s out and about. So, whenever I have a chance to give back to her, I jump on it. On a day when I finished work early, I headed over to chez mom and dad, enjoyed a Chinese dinner, and prepped the station for an impromptu beauty salon.
First, I soaked my mom’s nails in warm water. Then, I applied the Nourishing Cuticle Oil, rubbed it in, and let it sit for a while before I pushed her cuticles back. The oil made the cuticles much more pliable and it was so easy to remove all of the overgrown parts once they were nice and soft. After using the Nourishing Cuticle Oil, my mom had actual nails again that looked long and healthy.
The pampering had only just begun, though, because it was now time to top if off with the Restorative Nail Cream, which is what we are both the most excited about. This product is absolutely INCREDIBLE! Let’s start with the fact that it smells so good – the light as air, fresh cotton scent was just right with the rich, super hydrating cream.
And, most importantly, the non greasy formula left my mom’s nails and the surrounding areas smooth as silk. It also made her nails so insanely shiny which was a vast improvement to the dull hue that they were before. There was a noticeable difference after just one use and we are both looking forward to seeing her nails look better over time with continued use of the Restorative Nail Cream.
The Londontown Pampering Party that I had with my mom was a huge success. It was such a blast being able to spend time with her and it felt so good to let her be the one to get treated for a change. We can both attest to Londontown’s fabulous products and highly recommend the Nourishing Cuticle Oil and Restorative Nail Cream for your pampering pleasure!
How do you care for your nails? What is your favorite Londontown product? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! One thing that I really like to gift to people during the holidays is board games. I love me a good board game, myself, and I love that it promotes family fun and spending time together without being glued to your phone. This past year, I have grown particularly fond of a board game called Sequence. I played it with a client’s family and I have been hooked ever since. I have already given it as a gift to my big bro for his birthday and I definitely plan on passing it along to my loved ones this holiday season. Check it out:
Sequence is a game of strategy and a little bit of luck thrown in for good measure. The basic gist is that each player or team takes turns placing a chip on the board that coincides with a card in their hand. The goal is to get five of your chips in a row, like Bingo. But, if you have a one eyed Jack, you can replace an opponent’s chip with one of yours and a two eyed Jack is a wild card. As I’m sure you’ve guessed already, the player or team with the most sequences wins.
I enjoy playing this game so much and it’s just as fun playing it with one other person as it is on teams. It’s a simple game to learn, which will make it the perfect choice for when you’re having a get together or just killing some time during a rainy afternoon. You can’t beat the thirteen dollar price tag on Amazon and it will make a great stocking stuffer or a gift under the tree for someone on your shopping list!
What is your favorite board game? Have you ever played Sequence before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooo everyone! During a recent Dollar Tree haul, I was totally enamored with their Halloween fake eyelashes and bought a set in every color that they had. Now, mind you, I have never applied fake eyelashes in my life and it could have either gone really good or really freaking bad. Quality is also always a concern when you shop beauty at the Dollar Tree and I didn’t want to have to worry about the lashes coming off all day.
Purchasing the eyelashes was a gamble, to say the least, but taking the risk reaped a huge reward because they were wildly successful! Check it out:
For Halloween, my boyfriend’s band The Outside Voices were playing at a local venue in downtown Akron called Musica. All of the members of the band dressed up as rock legends and you can peep Johnny’s lil Angus Young get up! This means that not dressing up was not an option so your girl got to bust out the Sexy Raggedy Anne costume that I’ve literally had since high school. *Praise be to he that it still fits!*
As soon as I saw the red fake eyelashes at the Dollar Tree, I thought that it would be the perfect addition to my makeup look and bought the lot of them. The morning of the concert, I decided that I would just apply the lashes then because I was working from home and I would have time to fix them if they were an epic failure.
I’d be a liar if I said that I wasn’t nervous – applying fake lashes has always seemed like a difficult feat to me and I don’t have the most steady hand. But, I put the lash glue along the lid line and gave it my best shot. And, hey, it worked! Not only were my red glitter lashes a hit, but they stayed on all day and night and are still in tact if I want to use them again.
As you all know, I had a disappointing experience with a Dollar Tree bath bomb so I wasn’t expecting much. This made the huge success of my lashes even more pleasantly surprising and it made me so happy that I bought a set in each color. Now, if only I can figure out an occasion to wear them again. New Year’s Eve party, anyone?
What did you dress up as for Halloween? How do you rock fake lashes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Howdy! Today, we are going to discuss the other bath bomb that I purchased from the Dollar Tree that was equally as disappointing as the first one, lolol. It’s fine, though, because it’s not like I was expecting anything different and my curiosity has been tended to. So, now, I have even more of an excuse to shop at Lush because any other brand is a disgrace! Take a look at some pics and let’s get to it:
^^^ Whomp whomp.
I selected the bath bomb above because the colors reminded me of the always popular galaxy print and I had a fleeting hope that it would be reminiscent of Lush’s intergalactic style bomb. But, obviously, I was dead wrong. Although the colors of the bath bomb were pretty, all it did was create a murky mauve once it hit the water and that was that.
Now, can any of us say that we’re surprised? Absolutely not. This is a Dollar Tree bath bomb we’re talking about. But, I’m glad that I conducted this little experiment for your viewing pleasure and for my knowledge in the future. I now know that these are not the move for an add on gift or a treat to myself. And, it is also a friendly reminder that sometimes you have to splurge to get a product worth using. So, let’s hit Lush and do some shopping! 😀
What is your favorite Lush bath bomb? How about your favorite Lush product? 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
Yo yo yo. Yesterday, you all saw my little beauty haul from the Dollar Tree, which included two bath bombs. Obviously, I was not anticipating a Lush quality treat from the bombs that I purchased. But, I also wasn’t expecting it to suck so bad, lol. Either way, I’m glad that I tried it out. The Dollar Tree is one of my favorite places to buy small add ons to holiday and birthday gifts like candles, candy, and coffee mugs. And, now I know (and all of you will, too) that the bath bombs are something that you can take a hard pass on for your stocking stuffers this year. Let’s discuss:
The rainbow bath bomb is, admittedly, very cute and I thought that it would be a fun one to try out for the ol’ blog. I wouldn’t say that I was excited to give it a shot, I was more curious than anything. So, I filled up my bath tub, dropped the bomb in, and watched as the fizzy spectacle took place. Sadly, that’s all that happened when the bath bomb touched the water. It fizzed for a solid minute or two, turned the water a murky pink, and that was that.
Was I surprised? Definitely not. And, oddly, I was still okay with testing it out to give all of you the details and because it was a whopping one dollar so it didn’t break my bank! I still have one bath bomb by Treat Me left to try and I am not anticipating any bath tub magic a la Lush but, maybe – just maybe, the other one will be better. #wishfulthinking
What is your favorite bath bomb by Lush? How do you do stocking stuffers for the holiday season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Helloooo everyone! I recently just finished the fifth book out right now by Ruth Ware called The Death Of Mrs. Westaway. I, for the most part, have had a very positive experience with this author. Though there were a few books like The Woman In Cabin 10 and In A Dark Dark Wood that I wasn’t wild about, I highly enjoyed The Turn Of The Key and The Lying Game. Unfortunately, The Death Of Mrs. Westaway was a big miss for me with the grand reveal so, without giving any spoilers away, let’s discuss:
The Death Of Mrs. Westaway revolves around twenty-one year old Harriet AKA Hal, a tarot card reader who runs a small stand on Brighton Pier. She inherited the shop from her mother after she was killed in a car accident and needed to take up shop immediately to try to make ends meet. Young, broke, orphaned (she doesn’t know who her father is), and owing money to a dangerous loan shark Hal is in way over her head when bills pile up, her stand is lacking customers in the winter season, and the threats from the man she owes to turns dangerous.
Hal feels the need to escape and she can do that if she can swing fooling an entire family into believing she’s related to them. When she receives a letter in the mail claiming that she is the recipient of a substantial inheritance from the deceased Mrs. Westaway, it seems almost too good to be true – especially considering that she believed her grandparents to be dead. Despite committing a major act of fraud, Hal has nothing left to lose and everything to gain and heads to the funeral with the claim that she is the daughter of the deceased woman’s daughter, Maud.
At the funeral, Hal encounters the three brothers of her “mother” and, though lots of questions are raised, she is supposedly in with a family that she seemingly has no connection to. Or so she thinks. Because when she discovers her real mother in a photo of the siblings at their elaborate Victorian manor, everything she thinks she knows about herself and her mother becomes flipped. Does this family know who her father is? What is Hal’s mother’s relation to them? Is she a rightful heir to the inheritance after all? Read the book and find out!
I am not sure how to feel about The Death Of Mrs. Westaway. I actually loved it until the grand reveal and, although I saw it coming, I was disappointed with the outcome. I genuinely can’t say anything more than that without giving it completely away. But, what I will say, is that I did enjoy a solid ninety percent of the book. It was well written, suspenseful, downright sinister at times, and I liked almost all of the characters.
I appreciated Hal’s bravery throughout the novel and I liked that she didn’t back down to find the answers that directly pertained to her. She was able to play herself off as the mousy long lost niece and all the while she was making plans and using her intuition to solve the mystery of her own life. She was a heroine that I rooted for the entire time and I wish that the grand reveal did her more justice.
All in all, I’m going to rate this book with a six out of ten. I did not hate it but it was certainly not my favorite Ruth Ware novel by any means. I feel like I ended my reading journey with her on a sour note and am looking forward to a new book by her so that redemption can possibly happen.
What are you reading right now? How did you feel about The Death Of Mrs. Westaway if you read it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello, hello! My dad and I have been looking forward to seeing Joker and spent an afternoon together bearing witness to the amazing spectacle created by Joaquin Phoenix. The buzz on this flick has been strong, especially with talk already of Phoenix bagging Best Actor at the Academy Awards and an eight minute standing ovation at a Venice film festival. Within mere seconds, I understood that the hype was real, because Phoenix’s performance was one of the best I’ve seen in years. Take a look at the trailer and, without giving spoilers away, let’s discuss
^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to this video!
Arthur Fleck, AKA the Joker – a villain that everyone loves to hate and was famously portrayed by the late Heath Ledger was gifted with a two hour film showing just how exactly he came to be. From the lack of care from his delusional mother, severe abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, and a penchant for uncontrollable fits of laughter, no one can say that the Joker had it easy.
And, now, as a middle aged man with a love for vaudeville trying to make his way in the hardened Gotham City as a hired clown and stand up comic, things seem far from hopeful for Arthur Fleck. Mentally unstable, down on his luck, and making the claim that he never felt like he “existed”, Joker explores the transition from man to villain. Showcasing every beating, disappointment, and uncovered truths from the lies he’s been fed his whole life, Fleck begins a dangerous downward spiral into a life of crime amidst a city devoured by darkness and political unrest.
What follows? Pure and total anarchy, just as the newly formed Joker likes it.
This movie was absolutely haunting to me. Joaquin Phoenix, who lost fifty pounds to play this role, was an emaciated skeleton of a man, which made his screeching high pitched laugh even more unsettling. Blatantly placing his violent behaviors on his mental illnesses was also a disturbing one and it begs the question of if this movie is a “safe” one to be viewed by the general public. Is it a popcorn flick that tells a backstory of one of the most well known villains in history? Or, could it be viewed as a manifesto for the bullied and scared to make a stand – especially in the current political state we are in as we speak.
Regardless of your views on the issue, there is no denying that it was a well made film with a stellar performance by Phoenix. The imagery of streets filled with garbage, rain pelting down, and a man in painted face and a suit is one that I will not be forgetting any time soon.
Joker took its sweet time building up and by the final action packed scenes, the tension was ready to be cut with a knife. This resulted in a simply delicious viewing experience of seeing all of the dominoes that were so carefully placed throughout the film begin to topple to form the big picture. My dad and I left the theater feeling nothing short of shook up. And, honestly, there were some scenes that were genuinely hard to watch. But, I think that was the whole point of Joker and every tense, gut wrenching moment was a testament to that.
Not for the faint of heart but a damn good flick, I’m giving Joker a prestigious ten out of ten stars. Love it or hate it, Joker is going to be talked about, analyzed, and either applauded or frowned upon for years to come. Joaquin Phoenix gave an iconic performance and I’m already ready to watch it again.
What were your thoughts on Joker? Who is your favorite comic book villain? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello! In today’s edition of Lil Red’s Book Club, we are going to be discussing another one of Ruth Ware’s novels called The Turn Of The Key. If Ruth Ware’s name sounds familiar to you, that’s because it probably is! I have spent this past summer reading all of her novels and she has been featured in many a Lil Red’s Book Club posts these past few months.
While recovering from the car accident, I was able to dedicate my time to reading The Turn Of The Key in a matter of days and I enjoyed it very much. So, without giving any spoilers away, let’s discuss:
The Turn Of The Key revolves around Rowan, the new live in nanny for an extremely wealthy husband and wife architect duo and their four daughters. They live in a remote location in the hills of Scotland in an old house with an eerie combination of extremely modern technology and the original layout of the home from decades ago. The technology is so advanced, in fact, that everything can be controlled by an app called “Happy”. The shower settings, lights, curtains, doorbell, coffee machine, and oh yeah – the video monitoring in the bedrooms.
Rowan gets thrown right into her new position, as Sandra and Bill, the parents travel a lot for work and is almost immediately left alone with the girls Maddie, Ellie, Petra, and Rhiannon. The seemingly “perfect” position with the plush pay and fancy accommodations is anything but, though. Especially considering all four of the previous nannies were driven out by forces that can only be described as supernatural.
These powers that be get to work as soon as Rowan starts her new gig. From creaking in the attic to a freezing cold bedroom and the Happy app working on its own, all of the frustrations of caring for the difficult children and a lack of sleep begin to catch up with her and everyone is a suspect. The maid, handyman, children, – heck, even the parents could have a role in what’s going on because Rowan firmly doesn’t believe in ghosts.
Is what’s going on a prank, the old house just being an old house, or something far more sinister? And is everyone in the home really who they say they are? Read The Turn Of The Key to find out if Rowan can uncover the mystery before someone gets seriously hurt.
The Turn Of The Key has easily become one of my favorite Ruth Ware novels. Wrote in the form of a series of letters, this page turner keeps you guessing until the very last sentence of what really happened in the house during Rowan’s stint as the nanny. So many bombshells were dropped and twists and turns happened that I simply didn’t see coming and, normally, I’m really good at that!
I can’t give too much away in the synopsis of the book without spoiling the surprises but, if you’re in need of a good story to crack into, then definitely give The Turn Of The Key a try. Especially since I’m rating it with an: eight out of ten stars. For a unique story line, interesting characters, and being absolutely un-put-down-able. Bravo!
What book are you reading right now? Have you read any of Ruth Ware’s other novels? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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