Hello everyone!! It is the end of the month and year here on lifewithlilred so let’s close out 2022 by discussing my beauty empties for December. This year seriously flew by and thank you so much to everyone who has spent time on my page! This month, I went through lots of products and was forever on the hunt to soothe my dry winter skin. Some worked well, some not so much so let’s get to it:
EOS Body Cream: This was a Christmas gift from my bestie and it has helped my dry skin so much this past month. I would apply this cream every night and would see and feel a noticeable difference every morning. When my hands get dry, they get really red. The EOS Heal + Repair cream stopped the redness in its tracks every time it came cropping up and that was a huge plus. The pomegranate and raspberry scent was also nice and light, which is always preferred by me.
Vital Beauty Eye Gel: This is my second jar of the Vital Beauty Cooling Eye Gel that I have used and it has impressed me yet again. It took me over three months to finish it, which I thought was an excellent value. I love the gel texture, the super fast absorbancy, and the improvements it has made to the delicate skin around my eyes. There has definitely been a reduction in fine lines and designer bags and I would happily buy it again.
Clean Beauty Moisturizer: It took me close to five weeks to finish this moisturizer and it was just so so for me. The gel texture was calming and cooling and it absorbed really well. My skin also felt well hydrated after each use. However, I didn’t notice any mind blowing differences to my skin once the jar was complete. It was a good moisturizer but not great and I would use it again if it was one of my only options at TJMaxx.
B&BW Lotion: I received this lotion as a freebie during one of my Bath & Body Works trips and the Happy Birthday scent smells exactly like what you would think: A delicious cake with vanilla icing. Although the scent was pretty pungent, I still liked it because I’m a fan of anything vanilla! It took me about two weeks to finish the travel size lotion and it left my hands feeling nourished and smooth with every use.
TBS Drops Of Youth: My mom picked me up the Drops Of Youth by The Body Shop during one of her TJMaxx trips. I was excited because I had never used the serum before and expected it to be a miracle worker because I have heard nothing but good things about it. It took about one month to finish the bottle and, unfortunately, I was less than impressed with the results. For such a small bottle, the texture of the Drops Of Youth was relatively thick and you needed a decent amount to cover your face and neck. For value’s sake, this is never a good thing. I also didn’t see any major differences to my skin so I’m glad I know that I can skip on it if I ever see it at TJs!
Several successes in my December Finishes seems like the perfect way to wrap up 2022 here on lifewithlilred. See you tomorrow in 2023!! ❤
Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products 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
Hello everyone!! It’s the end of the month and you all know what that means… It’s time to discuss all of the beauty products that I finished up! September was a wildly successful month for empties and I used up lots of products that I would happily use again. One serum in particular really blew my mind and I NEED more. Today, we’ll be talking about the new to me finishes so you can peep previous reviews in other posts. Now, let’s get to it:
Pearlessence Serum: I decided to take a break from Vitamin C serums for a spell and moved onto my current obsession of hyaluronic acid. When I saw the Dewy Glow serum at TJMaxx during a previous haul, I couldn’t not try it and I was in love with the very pleasing color of the bottle lol. I am SO glad that I did because this serum is AMAZING! It promised a “dewy glow” and it delivered a thousandfold. After just one use, I was blown away by how fresh my skin looked and felt and it stayed that way all day. After the month it took me to finish it, my skin looked brighter and felt softer. It also paired so well with the Pearlessence moisturizer that I tried. Highly recommend!
Vital Beauty Eye Gel: The Vital Beauty Cooling Eye Gel was another TJs purchase and it was a great value. It costed about six dollars and it took me roughly four months to finish it with morning and night use. I’m happy that I bought two of them because this product was another winner. A little of it went such a long way and I was so impressed by how untired it made me look. I have been perpetually exhausted for the past month and a half but it definitely didn’t show! The delicate skin around my eyes felt healthy and strong and always looked like I got excellent beauty sleep even though that was far from the case. Loved it!
Pearlessence Gel Moisturizer: As you all know, I freaking love me a gel moisturizer. I think that they are so refreshing and love how quickly it absorbs as well as the non-greasy feeling. The Pearlessence moisturizer was really nice and Johnny liked it too for his chronically dry forehead lol. This product was so light but effective and the double dose of hyaluronic acid from the serum made a noticeable difference. I feel like my skin has never looked better or more perfectly moisturized thanks to this pairing. It took me a month of twice daily use to finish one jar.
As you can see, September was a wonderful month for finishes. I found a new favorite skin care brand and used up products that I have been working on for a while. You can’t beat that and do check out Pearlessence next time you need to restock your skin care… I think you’ll like it!
Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! Ever since moving into my first apartment, the Bath & Body Works Foaming Hand Soaps have been a must have for me. Both Johnny and I love the fun scents and how they leave your hands feeling squeaky clean and hydrated. In our bigger apartment, we have two bathrooms and the kitchen that need hand soap and have just replenished our supply. I look forward to my hand soap hauls every time and here is what I think of the new scents I ordered online:
Would I Buy Again?
Rainbow Cereal: NO
Pineapple Mango: YES
Sea Salt & Lime: MAYBE
Love You Cherry Much: NO!!!!!!!!
Boardwalk Vanilla Cone: YES
Cucumber Melon: YES
Note: These hand soaps were purchased on the cheap thanks to B&BW’s Semi-Annual Sale so some of them might not be available all of the time.
Why/Why Not?
Rainbow Cereal: When I order my hand soaps online, I don’t think so much about what the scent will actually smell like and look at the names I like, instead. Lol, I have now learned the error of my ways after this haul and don’t know why I didn’t put two and two together that Rainbow Cereal would smell just like Fruity Pebbles… This would be fine if it was just that BUT it smells like Fruity Pebbles that has been sitting in a bowl of milk for a half hour. Bleh!
Pineapple Mango: Johnny loves tropical scents and that made Pineapple Mango an obvious choice and a good one at that. It smells exactly like you think it would with no surprises and makes a safe bet for an online order. It is also a perfect summertime scent!
Sea Salt & Lime: This hand soap smells just like a Margarita without the tequila, if that makes sense? Lol, I have had issues before with some of B&BW’s wine scented products because they smell more like straight up booze than bath and body care. The Sea Salt & Lime is an exception to this and I like it well enough but probably wouldn’t buy it again.
Love You Cherry Much: Once again, I definitely should have thought more about what this hand soap would actually smell like before I added it to my cart… It smells one hundred million percent like Robitussin and is, easily, the worst hand soap purchase that I have ever made. Nine times out of ten, I find cherry scented anything to smell like cough syrup but its description of “red cherry, fresh citrus, and frosted berries” made me think otherwise. Don’t let this fool you because I promise that it will not smell as good as you think it will!
Boardwalk Vanilla Cone: This is a scent that I have purchased before so I knew that it would be a winner. It smells like fresh vanilla ice cream drizzled in caramel on a waffle cone and I am so there for it! 😀
Cucumber Melon: Cucumber Melon is such a classic scent and it will be perfect in my kitchen. This isn’t a scent that I could picture myself using as a shower gel or fragrance spray but I think that it will be great to help neutralize things after I add seven hundred more cloves of garlic than necessary when I’m cooking!
Despite some major duds, Johnny and I will be well set for hand soap for a while and I am happy about that. Use these epic failures as a cautionary warning for your next online order!
What is your favorite scent? What is a scent that you can’t stand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello everyone!! My birth month is drawing to a close and it has been a whirlwind time indeed. Between birthday celebrations and working with new clients, I have been busy but in the best way! No matter how jam packed of a schedule I have, I always have time for my daily beauty routines and am so happy to have finished up products this past month that felt never ending. Let’s discuss:
Evoluderm Micellar Water: This micellar water is a TJMaxx find and I was thrilled to be able to buy more of it during a haul this past February. I loved it as soon as I tried it at least a year ago and *pun intended* it blows the Garnier micellar water out of the water! The Evoluderm micellar water removes makeup effortlessly and feels so nourishing to the skin. It leaves my face feeling refreshed, hydrated, and clean. It took me about a month and a half to finish one bottle.
B&BW Shower Gel: Pearberry is a retired scent from Bath & Body Works and I always have to snag more of it during their Semi-Annual Sale. I love fruity fragrances and Pearberry’s crisp scent of juicy pears mixed with tart berries was so invigorating every morning. I was very sad to finish this bottle because it was my last one and it took me close to two months to use it up.
St. Ives Scrub: I used to love me a St. Ives scrub until I learned that they are not the best for your skin lol. Unfortunately, you all know that I simply refuse to not use up a product so I finished the Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange Scrub out of spite. Although I wouldn’t use a St. Ives scrub again once I’m done with the one I’m currently using, I will say that they would be the bomb if it didn’t use crushed walnut shell as the exfoliant. It took me about a month and a half to finish this scrub.
Provence Beauty Serum: I have been having some fun testing out new serums after I felt like I reached the limit of effectiveness with my normal Tree Of Life serums. I found the Provence Beauty Vitamin C serum to be pretty good and I would probably buy it again if I didn’t have any other options at TJMaxx. My main qualm with this product is how liquidy it is. It had the tendency to fall right out of your hand after using the dropper and it didn’t feel as nourishing as I would like. However, I did notice a difference in the brightness of my skin. It took me five weeks of twice daily use to finish it.
Hope Soap Lotion: I received this lotion from a local shop in my neck of the woods as a Christmas gift. The Gingerbread Caramel scent was divine and it smelled good enough to eat. It also did make my hands feel nice and smooth, without a doubt. Although, similarly to the Provence Beauty serum, its texture was very runny. I prefer a thicker lotion at nighttime so this was definitely a negative factor for me. It also took for freaking ever to use up and took over four months (And accidentally dropping it!) of once a day use to finish it. If I were gifted with it again, of course I would use it but I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it for myself.
There is nothing better than using up products that took a long time to finish and, despite some wishy washy reviews, I am still pleased with my empties this month. I can’t wait to try lots of new products out in their place this July! 😀
Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products 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
Hellooooo everyone! Usually I like to keep my synopsis posts on American Horror Story: Hotel purely factual and let the opinions flow freely on Friday BUT “Devil’s Night – Part 1” was EXQUISITE! Let’s discuss the exciting twists and turns that tonight’s episode brought us and please check in with me on Friday for What I Really Really Thought on the episode:
Nod to the Chicken Coop Murders in the 1920’s: Tonight’s episode began with blood dripping through the ceiling and onto the walls of Detective John Lowe’s room. He goes to Miss Ever’s room which is directly above his to find her having a cleaning frenzy next to a blood filled bath tub. We are then taken to a flashback to Halloween with her son, Albert, in the 1920’s. They arrive at his school and see students and parents dressed in costumes to the nines and all Albert has is a sheet with eye holes cut in it so he can be a ghost. After Miss Evers swoons to a fellow mother over her elaborate costume she turns her attention back to her son only to find that he isn’t there. We then see Albert being driven off in a stranger’s car. We learn that Albert was taken to the killer’s ranch and the only remains found of him was his Halloween costume. “I wasn’t paying attention” Miss Ever’s cries and for a fleeting moment Lowe finds someone who understands his pain over Holden.
Welcome home Holden: Alex brings sweet Holden home and tries to give him a quick medical exam. As soon as they walk in the door though, Sparky, the family dog barks at the unfamiliar boy so Alex puts him in the bathroom. As Alex begins the exam she opens a curtain and Holden complains that it’s too bright. She then takes the boys temperature to see that he’s at a chilly 75.5 degrees. The little one tells his mom that he’s thirsty so she hurries to the kitchen to get him some juice but we all know that Holden wanted dat human blood so he settled on the next best thing, Sparky. 😦
Alex finds her son with a blood soaked mouth cowering over the dead dog and he tells her that he wants his mommy. “Baby, I am your mommy” she says. Holden replies with “my other mommy” so they go to the Cortez where Holden goes to take a nap in his coffin and Alex encounters the Countess. The ladies sit down for a chat and we learn why the Countess chose Holden as her son. She tells Alex that she saved him, like she saves all of her children from the neglect of a parent. The Countess claims that she keeps the kids safe, “the world can be such a dangerous place” she says.
After listening to the Countess babble about all of the good that kidnapping does, Alex pulls a gun on her. SNAP. She demands that the Countess changes her son back but is told that there is no way to reverse vampirism. The Countess then offers to turn her so she can be with Holden forever for the price of her undying loyalty. Alex is not feeling this option at the moment and threatens the Countess with getting the police involved and turns to leave but gets a swift punch in the face from Tristan. The Countess tells him to let her go which leaves Alex with a difficult decision on her hands.
The Devil’s Night Soiree: The Devil’s Night Soiree at the Cortez is the most happening event of the season. It is an exclusive dinner party hosted by the one and only James Patrick March. All of the big names in serial killing are invited – Aileen Wuornos (Lily Rabe), Richard Ramirez, John Gacy, Zodiac, Jeffrey Dahmer…and John Lowe? Yeah that’s right, let’s discuss:
Devil’s Night begins with John at the bar, who finally cracks and orders himself a double martini. “That’s my boy”, Cleo muses. As he sips his drink a female with a mean mullet and awful teeth approaches the bar. This trailer park queen is Aileen Wuornos. She engages in conversation with John who is convinced that she’s in a costume or just a really good actor. John agrees to go to a room with her despite her…unconventional looks but once they’re in his room Aileen cuffs his hands and ties him to a chair. John is able to escape being tied up in the nonsexy way fairly easily and strikes Aileen, drags her to the bathroom, and cuffs her to the sink pipes. He then goes to her belongings and examines her ID which checks in with her story of being one of the world’s greatest female serial killers.
John runs down to the front desk and looks at the sign in sheet where he sees the names of serial killers galore. Cleo informs him of the night’s festivities and is pleasantly surprised to find that John is on the “tres exclusive” guest list. John goes back to his room to find it Wuornos-free but on his bed he finds a garment bag containing a sharp tux and the note “dress to kill tonight”. He puts on his new duds and goes to Room 64 to join the partay. #serialkilleroverhere #whoopwhoop #serialkilleroverthere #whoopwhoop
The party is exactly what you think it would be…a bunch of the world’s greatest serial killers just hanging out, having a drink, and getting a little rowdy. Everyone seems to be having a ball, Aileen hollers “suck my left tit Clark Gable” to March, Zodiac has a bag over his head, and Jeffrey Dahmer is being a weirdo…the usual. Once everyone is gathered around the table, the party goers take a shot of Absinthe and the dinner commences. #turnup
James March apparently has been a father figure to all of the deceased serial killers sitting before him. He is the patriarch of the party and is lovingly referred to by his guests as “the master”. He goes on to flatter them by calling them the “Mount Rushmore of murder” and says that when he looks around the table he sees “the definition of American success”. What a sweetie! After their meal, the fun begins with music, dancing, serial killer tricks like John Gacy cuffing Lowe to a chair, and a nice handsome boy for Dahmer provided by March.
In the mean time, Sally is outside having a cigarette and picking up a businessman standing outside of the hotel. She shoots him up with a healthy dose of heroin and she brings him to the partay. “This will buy me another year of being left alone, right?” she asks March. “As always”, he replies. Once the new guest is welcomed to the party by the hostess with the mostess, James, he invites his guests to join him for dessert. A tray of knives is brought out by Miss Evers and Sally’s score ends up being the sacrificial lamb to the serial killer crew. What a wild night, am I right?
So all of these serial killers are dead, yes? So who exactly is John in the room with during the soiree? No one. When Sally enters the room to bring in the sacrifice she informs the severely intoxicated John that she found him screaming, he was all alone, and he was hallucinating because of the Absinthe. What a wild night, am I right?
^^^ DA DA DA DA DA DA DA MEET ME AT THE CORTEZ!!!
Alex gets turned: The episode ends with Alex getting turned by the Countess because she can’t stand to lose Holden again…No surprise there.
So there you have it, tonight’s new episode of American Horror Story: Hotel “Devil’s Night – Part 1”. How did everyone feel about tonight’s episode? What did you think of the serial killer soiree? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
PS: Make sure you check back in with me on Friday for What I Really Really Thought about tonight’s episode!! Only good things, I promise!
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