Tag Archives: review

Jul23

Marilyn Manson Concert At Blossom Music Center

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Marilyn Manson Concert At Blossom Music Center

Hiii everyone and happy Monday! Last week, I got to see Marilyn Manson in concert for the second time in less than one year. Our hometown hero was performing at Blossom Music Center with Rob Zombie for the Twins Of Evil tour. It was not an option to not go, even though Blossom isn’t one of my favorite venues so my sister, Kristen, and I made our happy way to the show and everything started out just fine until…

MY FAVORITE PLATFORMS BROKE WHILE WALKING INTO BLOSSOM!!!

😦

ughh

There is literally nothing worse than looking all kinds of trashy when walking into a concert with bare feet and your tail between your legs, but what can you do? Lol, anyways, because Kristen and I pre-gamed and Ubered to the show, Marilyn Manson began performing moments after we found a good spot to post up at on the lawn.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Blossom, it’s an outdoor venue with a pavilion and a huge lawn as your seating options. Being seated in the pavilion is expensive, but you can see the stage. Meanwhile, the lawn is dirt cheap, but you can’t see shit and taking pictures or videos won’t do you a lick of good. Because Kristen and I were so spoiled with front row spots during the last show we saw Marilyn Manson at, our twenty buck lawn seats were just fine.

In all honesty, the show was quite disappointing. Granted, we couldn’t see anything without the mega screens, but there were some other issues that spoiled the fun, too. First of all, the set list, which will be discussed in a moment was short. We’re talking twelve songs and then off the stage for good short. And second, the crowd was just not feeling it, and that was shocking to me – especially considering that Marilyn Manson’s home town was literally fifteen minutes away from where we were. All of these circumstances together created a really lackluster vibe, and it was a bummer to be in an audience that wasn’t welcoming back Ohio’s finest like the royalty he is.

Now, the set list was okay, but it did leave a lot to be desired. The majority of his picks were crowd pleasers like mOBSCENE, This Is The New Shit, Disposable Teens, Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), The Beautiful People, and The Dope Show. He also added in fan favorites from his most recent album, Heaven Upside Down, with Kill4Me and Say10. With over seventy-five percent of the set list being made up of his most popular hits, the crowd should have been going nuts, and it just wasn’t happening.

The remaining tracks that he performed was his encore of his new remake of Cry Little Sister, which was fabulous, and Irresponsible Hate Anthem (Which he opened with.), Angel With The Scabbed Wings, and Antichrist Superstar. As I said, there was a lot to be desired.

After Marilyn Manson finished up, Kristen and I decided that we had no desire to see Rob Zombie perform, so we called an Uber and headed home. Overall, it was a fun night and I am so happy to have seen one of my favorite artists for the second time. But, nothing will ever compare to seeing him front and center for the first time at Stage AE!

What concerts have you been to this summer? Do you have a venue similar to Blossom in your area? 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

Jul16

Face Mask Festivities: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque Edition

Howdy and welcome to a new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to talk about a lesser liked mask of yours truly – Queen Helene’s Mint Julep Masque. From the very first squeeze out of the tube, I could tell that this wasn’t a mask for me. So, take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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My first impression of this mask was how thick the texture was. So much so that squeezing it out of its tube and onto my hand required some serious elbow grease. The mask did smell nice and minty, however, and it applied fairly easily. Unfortunately, that’s really all this Queen Helene product had going for it.

Despite a wash off time of five to ten minutes as listed on the directions, this mask began to dry and tighten on my face literally as soon as it hit my skin. By the time I got to the point in my shower routine to wash it off, it was probably on for seven minutes or so and my skin was left feeling dry as a bone. I was so eager to get my eye cream, serum, and moisturizer on post wash off and my skin still felt parched after hydrating it. Whomp whomp.

I love the idea of an invigorating and minty mask more than the next guy, but all of that doesn’t mean much when it feels like the product vacuum sealed your face. I wouldn’t recommend this mask to my worst enemy (Over dramatic, I know.), and definitely won’t be using it again in the future despite it being in my skin care arsenal.

Have any beauty products disappointed you lately? What has been one of your least favorite face masks? 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

Jul8

Face Mask Festivities: Freeman’s Anti-Stress Clay Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Freeman’s Anti-Stress Clay Mask Edition

Hi everyone and welcome to the newest edition of Face Mask Festivities. Today, we are going to be discussing Freeman’s Anti-Stress Clay Mask. Delightfully reminiscent of Lush’s Don’t Look At Me mask, this blue baby definitely was a hit and was a fraction of the cost at only $3.29. Plus, no refrigerator to keep this mask fresh is required! Check it out:

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If there’s one thing that the ballin on a budget lifestyle has taught me, it’s that drugstore brands are equally, if not better, than name brands. This mask by Freeman’s was essentially the exact same thing as Don’t Look At Me by Lush for so much less. And, this made me enjoy it even more, because I felt so pampered completely guilt free.

Using Freeman’s Anti-Stress Clay Mask was the perfect treat after a long day of working and getting caught in the rain during a hike. I ran a bath, applied the mask, and was instantly transported to Relaxation Station. This mask smells awesome, for one. It is so minty and invigorating with the slightest touch of an ocean breeze, thanks to the dead sea minerals in the formula. It also was the perfect texture. It wasn’t too light or too thick, but right in the middle, and it didn’t over dry when my bath took longer than the wash off time.

Because this mask didn’t over dry, it left my skin feeling amazing after washing it off. My pores felt like they got deep cleaned and all of my blackheads were removed, to boot. Once my face was nice and clean, I applied my Vitamin E Sleep Mask from The Body Shop and drifted off into the Land Of Nod feeling like I just spent my evening at the spa. Except this spa costed me less than ten dollars to enjoy, and I can definitely swing that!

What is your favorite face mask to use? How do you create a spa experience at home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul4

Hand Mask Hullabaloo: Lush’s Golden Handshake Edition

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Hand Mask Hullabaloo: Lush’s Golden Handshake Edition

Helloooo and happy Hump Day! In this post, we will be talking about my last birthday goodie from Lush, a hand mask called Golden Handshake. Before my darling friend, Kate, gifted me with this, I had no idea that hand masks even existed – but here we are now! I really enjoyed using this product and, what’s even better, is that I got to pamper my mom with it, too. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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To use the Golden Handshake hand mask, you boiled water and then swirled the product around in it until it melted and changed the H2O consistency into rich, creamy lusciousness. I used a baking pan for my concoction, which was a good move because it was big enough for both mine and my mom’s hands. It was initially a long process to get the mask to melt, so we opted to break it apart, which helped speed it up immensely.

From getting Golden Handshake ready for use to applying it and letting it sit was a totally unique and indulgent pampering experience. First, I loved the way that this product smelled. It had a rich, nutty aroma to it, which is one of my favorite scents for bath products. I also thought that the light dusting of gold glitter was a lovely touch! And, most importantly, Golden Handshake felt so soothing on my hands and left them feeling soft and moisturized. They still feel as smooth as ever even after my shower and multiple hand washes.

Another nice thing about this hand mask is that it’s reusable. My mom and I poured the water through a sieve so that we could catch the chunks of product before it went down the drain. We then put the remainders of the mask in a little container and let it harden in the refrigerator so that we can use it again during our next pampering session. I can’t wait!

What is your favorite way to pamper yourself? Have you ever used a hand mask before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul2

Bath Bomb Blitz: Lush’s Twilight Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Lush’s Twilight Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! This will be the last issue of Bath Bomb Blitz for a while until I can restock my supplies from Lush. I told myself that I would try to space out my birthday bath bombs, but we all see how well that worked out, because I used up four in less than a month! The bath bomb from Lush that we’re going to discuss today is called Twilight and it was AIGHT. Take a look:

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(I like to call the second pic “Journey To The Center Of The Bath Bomb” haha)

Although I definitely liked Twilight better than the Sakura bomb, it was still a bit of a disappointment. I was looking forward to using it, because I thought that the water was going to turn fully pink. But, because the center of the bath bomb was baby blue, the water turned dish water grey, instead. Not a good look.

Twilight also fizzed out rather quickly, which didn’t help the water color situation, either. The bath bomb had completely disappeared within two minutes, so there wasn’t much of a display aspect to using Twilight – and that’s no fun! The final nail in the coffin, is that I didn’t feel moisturized at all from this product, which sucks, because I’m so used to Lush bath bombs making me feel like I just took a soak in body butter. So, even though Twilight was a step up from the Sakura bomb, I definitely wouldn’t bother with this one again.

Which body care products do you like to use during bath time? What would your perfect bath bomb be like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun30

Bath Bomb Blitz: Lush’s Sakura Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Lush’s Sakura Edition

WARNING:

This post features pictures of my dirty ass bath tub. I apologize in advance. – The Management

Okay! Now that that’s out of the way… Hi everyone! Today, we are going to discuss the first product that I have not been happy with from Lush. Their Sakura bath bomb. In the words of all of my dad joke telling friends, it truly was a “dud”. *Massive eye roll* Take a look and see for yourselves:

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Like everyone else on the planet, when I use a bath bomb, I’m expecting to see some action. Fireworks, explosions, at the very least the bath water changing colors! But, unfortunately, none of the above happened with the Sakura bomb. Hell, it didn’t even smell good.

Upon first inspection of the bath bomb, you’ll notice the pale blue and pink incorporated into the color palette. So, I assumed that the water would reflect that with the soft pink and blue and a creamy white for good measure. But, to assume makes an ass of U and me, as the old saying goes! After dropping the bomb in the water, it fizzed out in less than a minute, and left the water a murky, foamy white. And, even that disappeared after being in the tub for about thirty seconds.

One of my favorite things about bath bombs from Lush is how moisturized they leave your skin feeling after using them. And, this bath bomb didn’t have that going for it, either. My skin felt dry and tight after I got out of the tub and I had to use a healthy amount of body butter afterwards to shake away that feeling. Whomp whomp.

If you’re looking for a bath bomb that does literally nothing, then the Sakura bomb is the one for you. But, if you’re looking for a bath bomb that does something, then the Sakura bomb is definitely not the one for you! 😉

Have any products disappointed you lately? What is your least favorite bath bomb that you have used? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun27

Bath Bomb Blitz: Secret Arts Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Secret Arts Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Bath Bomb Blitz! This amazing Jelly Bomb from Lush is called Secret Arts and it was part of my birthday gift from the beautiful Kate of Ankhor You. Kate knows me all too well, because only a true best friend would gift me with a bath bomb that turns the water black! Check it out:

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When I first popped Secret Arts into the bath tub, I was so pleased to see the water turning into an inky black, because bathing in black water is one of my emo kid fantasies. And, as the bath bomb began to dissolve, it revealed a deep magenta core that spiraled out into the water. It actually looked a lot like a Golden Snitch from Harry Potter… except not golden at all, but you get the point.

As I made my way into the tub, I noticed a layer of film over the water that didn’t look like anything I’ve seen before while Bath Bomb Blitzing. Little did I know, I was using a Jelly Bomb, and it transformed the water into a rich, creamy gel. It actually felt a lot like butter and it definitely felt a lot like magic. A coincidence from my BFF who also loves Harry Potter as much as me? I think not!

After making the discovery that I had a skin treatment included in this bath bomb, I took the time to rub the body butter film all over myself and it was so delicious. It moisturized my skin so well that I didn’t even need to apply lotion upon exiting the tub but, of course I did anyways to revel in the full bath time experience.

The only negative about this product was the clean up afterwards. It left a slippery, black residue in my tub that needed serious elbow grease to remove. It literally looked like an oil spill took place in my bath tub. So, if you’re not interested in a heavy duty tub scrubbing after your bath, then Secret Arts is not for you. But, if you don’t mind it, then it will be a magical bath time, indeed.

*Cue Harry Potter theme music*

What is your favorite bath bomb from Lush? What color do you like your bath water to turn? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah