Tag Archives: shopping

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

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Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Howdy! The foaming hand soaps from Bath & Body Works are a staple at chez moi and Johnny. We absolutely love them and so do all of our guests – especially our nieces! We were running low on our supply and it couldn’t have happened at a better time because I just got some coupons in the mail. During one of my work breaks, I hit up B&BW for a re-up and ended up with five new soaps and a freebie item for twenty bucks. You can’t beat that! I picked out several new to us scents and this was truly Johnny’s time to shine. He is a tropical boy and the store was jam packed with beachy, fruity, summery scents for days. Check it out:

Pink Kiwi Berry: One of my favorites of the bunch! The Pink Kiwi Berry soap seriously smells like candy – almost like a watermelon Jolly Rancher and it is delightful. I can literally smell the sugar crystals, which makes sense as this scent offers notes of “sweet kiwi, candied citrus, and sunny orchids”. I can’t speak to the sunny orchids lol but if you are looking for a sweet/tart scent that is primarily sweet, you are going to LOVE Pink Kiwi Berry!

Peach Bellini: You already KNOW I had to get me a Peach Bellini – one of my tried and true scents. In fact, this was one of the first hand soaps I purchased when I moved into my own apartment! It has been a go to of mine for over six years and I don’t plan on not getting it anytime soon. If you are a fan of all things peach and haven’t tried Peach Bellini from B&BW – what are you waiting for?! It is like biting into a juicy peach with every use.

Mango Papaya Paradise: Let’s hear it for the boy because this scent is one hundred percent Johnny. I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of mango fragrances because I always thought the mango line from The Body Shop smelled moldy lol. However, the Mango Papaya Paradise is pretty nice! This scent features notes of “succulent mango, golden papaya, and warm tropical breeze”. It is my least favorite in the bunch strictly for my preferences but it does smell fresh and zingy and I know my main squeeze will love it!

Sweet Kiwi & Starfruit: Now, this tropical scent, I like! The packaging also really pleases me! The Sweet Kiwi & Starfruit is more subtle – it actually smells reminiscent of a toned down version of the Pink Kiwi Berry. As that was my favorite scent from the haul, what’s not to like?! This soap offers notes of “golden kiwi, juicy starfruit, and solar woods” (Whatever solar woods smells like). If you are looking for a fragrance that packs a punch, this is one you could skip on. Should your tastes match a subtly sweet scent, you are in for a treat.

Vanilla Swirl: This is a new vanilla scent from B&BW and as a HUGE fan of all things vanilla, I had to hop on it! Vanilla Swirl is what it is. If you, too, live for vanilla fragrances then this is a must buy. If not, then definitely skip on it because this is a true vanilla scent through and through.

As I actually shopped in store for this haul, it was a wildly successful one with a little something for me and my Johnny!

Do you like tropical scents? What is your favorite fragrance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dress + Pants OOTD Bloopers

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Dress + Pants OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Dress + Pants OOTD! This look allowed me to use a relatively see through dress that I absolutely love but genuinely had no idea what to do with. It turns out all I needed was pants to show off the dress and create an OOTD that is so perfectly chic for spring. As you know, I have been making an effort to shoot outfits with my tripod and it has been going pretty good! You wouldn’t know it judging by my RBF in all of these blooper shots, though lol. Check it out:

Despite it not looking that way in the slightest, I had so much fun shooting this fit in the great outdoors. And, it just so happens that I got a dose of the great outdoors inside that day too. After my picture party, I went into chez parents and the WiFi didn’t instantly connect on my phone like usual. I went to the basement to investigate the internet box or whatever it’s called and while my back was turned, I heard some scuttling. I turned around, saw a chipmunk running around, promptly had a heart attack, RAN upstairs, and called my mom lol. Of course, a chipmunk isn’t scary but it was quite surprising for one to be in the basement!

After my heart rate returned to normal, I found myself to be very curious as to how the chipmunk got inside in the first place as well as what it was doing while I was upstairs. So, I put on my big girl pants and went back into the basement to become friends with our uninvited guest. It turns out that the chipmunk was settling into its new digs very nicely because that little thing was running here, there, and everywhere. In fact, it ran on top of my brother’s drum set so I like to think the chipmunk was musically inclined.

I visited the basement several times that day and, eventually, the chipmunk was nowhere to be found. Since we had no idea how it even got inside, my dad got a humane trap from Lowe’s so we could release it outdoors. And, for the next three or so days, the basement was quiet and the trap was empty. The chipmunk must have went back out the way it came in and I am so glad the little critter figured it out. Not to say it wouldn’t have been nice to keep it as a pet. 🙂 (I kid, I kid!!)

Wherever my chipmunk friend is now, I hope it is safe and healthy. And, if it ever wants to come back and visit, it will know exactly what to do!

What is your favorite outdoor critter? Have you ever had a critter in your home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dress + Pants OOTD

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Dress + Pants OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Dressing for spring in Ohio is truly like a box of chocolates lol. It could be frigid cold in the morning and then the temperature will skyrocket by mid afternoon. It might be freaking freezing all day or feel like a glimpse of summertime weather. In conclusion, it’s basically a big question mark when you’re deciding what to wear. Of course, come springtime, my heart says wear ALL the dresses and my brain says to hold that thought and consider other options. But why can’t I have both? I present to you, the Dress + Pants combo:

Dress: Zara

Coated Skinny Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Word Bubble Heels: LFL, TJMaxx

I’m pretty sure the cross earrings are from Claire’s!

I have a confession to make… Despite having this dress by Zara for upwards of eight years, this is the first time I ever wore it. Why, you might ask? Believe you me when I say, this dress is see through. The top is fine and I don’t mind a peek a boo of a bra. However, the bottom half has evaded me because you’re screwed either way with the panties or commando route. Typically, I never keep a piece of clothing that I haven’t worn for as long as this dress. But I vowed that at some point eventually, I would figure it out and it turns out all I needed was pants lol.

Before we talk about the build of this OOTD, can we please talk about this dress? I find it to be so striking and it felt SO good to finally be able to wear it! The silky material, the stark white with the black flower sketches, and those corset sides? Forget about it! I also just love the flowy sleeves that taper into a tight cuff at the wrists. This dress is full of surprises everywhere you look and is an ideal option to welcome springtime.

Although there is a lot to look at in regards to the Zara dress, the beauty of it is that it’s still a fully neutral piece. Meaning? I could have some fun with the rest of the outfit, no harm no foul. I decided to play into the sheen of the dress by pairing it with a gorgeous pair of coated skinnies by Seven Jeans. These two like elements flowed seamlessly together and that was most helpful in creating the illusion of length.

For shoes, I chose a funky pair of word bubble heels by LFL which were perfect with the black and white palette established. These heels are the definition of quirky cute and allowed for a surprise pop of red toenail polish. Between all of the different textures and patterns in this look, jewelry wasn’t necessary and would only clutter what I find to be a very sleek and chic fit. So, I popped on a pair of dangly crosses and was ready to take some pictures feeling so sweetly spring – Lil Red’s way!

The mystery of what to wear with my Zara dress was solved with one killer Dress + Pants OOTD. I am obsessed with this combo and cannot wait to bust it out again!

Do you have any clothes that you have no idea what to wear with? Do you have any clothes that go with everything? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

The Best Dress OOTD Bloopers

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The Best Dress OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Best Dress OOTD! In case you haven’t noticed, I have had a lot of fun creating content as of late and it is a very nice place to be. One of my goals at the beginning of the year was to shoot at least one OOTD per week. I was doing excellent for months, until I wasn’t. Honestly, I was really depressed for the past several weeks and it made it hard to do much of anything once the weekend rolled around. I am feeling much better now (I promise, I’ll explain eventually!) and it has been a gift to step back into the content game bright eyed and bushy tailed. Even when the content isn’t all that great:

You know, I don’t think I realized how depressed I was in the situation I was in. Now that I am out of it, I can scroll through my mental Rolodex of going through the motions every day for months on end, constantly feeling sad or irritated, and letting literally everything I enjoy doing fall by the wayside. IE: Cooking, content creating, outings with Johnny and friends. After doing that for so long, I kid you not, it felt incredibly weird to start feeling good again and seemingly instantly once I said enough.

As soon as I took control back, it was like a ten billion pound weight was lifted off my shoulders and I almost felt “naughty” for inviting happiness back. You know what I have to say? *Pardon my French* but F that. I did what was best for me and deserve to revel in it and that meant having FUN. And, fun for me is getting dressed up and shooting content. So, that is what I did and have been doing and it has been amazing! Creating posts just for me and my little corner of the internet fills me with so much pride and I feel like my old self has returned. In fact, I feel the most inspired now than I have been for months and it is exciting to have all of these ideas zooming around my head again. I can’t wait to make all of them happen!

Lil Red is getting her groove back and you can too! Tend to your mental health and be good to yourself because when you are back – you’re back, baby!

What do you like to do for fun? What is your favorite kind of content to create? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

The Best Dress OOTD

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The Best Dress OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This look is the second one that I shot all by myself on my tripod. I had every intention of doing some shooting outside, then I walked outside, froze my buns off, and promptly returned into my apartment cocoon lol. As I scoured chez moi for a Plan B, I decided to make use of Johnny’s guitar corner to show off one of my favorite dresses. This was a bit of a process because the lighting did not want to behave whatsoever so I was making adjustments here there and everywhere. I did end up with a few good shots, though! Check it out:

Dress: BCBG, TJMaxx

Word Bubble Heels: LFL, TJMaxx

As you can see, there really wasn’t much to this OOTD but I still think it packs a punch! I fell in love with this dress by BCBG as soon as I saw it during an online shopping stint with TJMaxx. I didn’t think I could possibly love it more until I tried it on! Once I looked in the mirror, this little number skyrocketed to one of my all time favorites because it is so different than anything else I own and the concern I did have went right out the window. As a girl with a bigger chest, I was worried that the black cutout portion of the dress would be “too much” and that’s something that definitely makes me feel uncomfortable. However, the funky 70’s print button down part of the dress balanced it out. Instead of having the key focal point be smack dab on my chest, there was a surprise pattern and it allowed the eyes to dance rather than settle.

In conclusion, this dress is perfect lol. I am genuinely enamored by the button down pattern and would so love to have it in a dress or shirt too. Not to mention how striking of an hourglass silhouette it creates. Can you say va va voom?! This dress makes me feel so confident and when you have something on that makes you feel that good, you really don’t need anything else. So, I popped on a pair of super fun word bubble heels by Lust For Life, a dangly pair of cross earrings, and was ready to model in front of a bunch of instruments that I have no idea how to play!

The Best Dress, indeed! Peep my TikTok (lilred6794) for more from this look and stay tuned for the Blooper Reel too! ❤

Do you have an outfit that makes you feel really confident? What is it like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Floral Flounce OOTD Bloopers

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Floral Flounce OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Floral Flounce OOTD! I have had a bit of extra free time on my hands (I will explain eventually!) and want to make the most of it. This has involved a lot of housework and shooting a lot of content. I even made a TikTok and you can follow me at lilred6794 !! The OOTDs that I have created this past week have all been shot using a tripod. It is a process that I have been getting used to and it can be quite time consuming. Normally, I am done in five minutes when my blog husband takes my pictures! Despite being slightly annoying, it is fun to try something new and, of course, check out some yikes shots:

The Floral Flounce OOTD was the very first look I shot on a tripod in years. I think I might have done one or two tripod shoots a few summers ago when Johnny was out but you get the point. All I know, is that my conclusion after those shoots was that it sucked and that Johnny would take my pictures for forever lol. In the bloopers above, you can definitely see my frustration with the tripod process because it was annoying. That’s the only word I have for it: Annoying. Put the timer on the camera, run into place, strike a pose, evaluate the picture, rinse, repeat. And repeat, and repeat, and repeat. I must have done that at least fifty times and I was just done at the end of it.

But, you know what? It got easier! Since the Floral Flounce OOTD, I have shot two new looks with the tripod (Peep those soon!). The second outfit was still a learning process. However, I was ON FIRE with the third look. I hate to toot my own horn but toot toot! I had a plethora of shots to choose from in under ten minutes, I was able to place the tripod in the best position on the second or third try, and only had a few lighting issues to tend to. Not bad at all considering it took me a good half an hour to shoot the Floral Flounce fit. In fact, after my successful third tripod attempt, I found myself wishing that I had brought more outfits to shoot!

The moral of the story? Try and try again. I am stepping outside of my content comfort zone. The tripod experience is brand new to me and my own TikTok is something I never thought I would make. I’m having fun, though, and am proud that I decided to blaze a new trail instead of thinking of reasons not to!

Have you tried something new recently? How did it go? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Floral Flounce OOTD

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Floral Flounce OOTD

Howdy everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! I had a surprise day off on Monday and I fancied shooting some content with my tripod. I had every intention of going outside to take some OOTD shots, then I stepped foot outside and it was cold AF. Lol, so I went to the limited “blank” spaces in my apartment and in the words of Tim Gunn a la Project Runway – I made it work! Check out this super cute look that is so perfect for spring:

Bubble Sleeve Top: True Destiny, TJMaxx

Bubble Skirt: A New Day, Target

Heeled Mules: Betsey Johnson, TJMaxx

Lego Stud Earrings: AbbieDabbles

I have been enamored with the bubble skirt that I purchased from Target for Valentine’s Day as soon as I laid eyes on it in the store. A bubble skirt is something that I have wanted for forever and it has exceeded all of my expectations. It is just so fun, flouncy, and transforms any look with such a unique shape and lots of movement. I love that this is a piece that can be worn year round and I have every intention of doing so – starting with this look. My Floral Flounce OOTD is one that I styled in my head and I am pleased to report that it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. GREAT SUCCESS!

As the bubble skirt was a shoe-in for this fit, the question was simply what to pair it with. I had just the top in mind – a darling little bubble sleeve number by True Destiny. This top is an instant showstopper. From the vivid floral pattern to the fitted torso that explodes into huge bubble sleeves, there is no doubt about it being a statement piece. Regardless of the pretty pattern popping against the black skirt, I was more interested in the True Destiny top for the fit. As a rule of thumb for myself, I don’t like pairing two like items together – IE: Two bubble fit pieces. However, the fitted torso gave an excellent buffer between the bubble skirt and sleeves and prevented a giant marshmallow effect. 😀

Next, it was onto shoes and accessories. To keep with a nice and lean leg line, I opted for a quirky pair of mules by Betsey Johnson. These mules are jam packed with sweet surprises like the flower brooches and striped heels. As the black skirt was a buffer between the bold top, it was no harm no foul to incorporate additional patterns on the heels. Between all of different dynamic aspects of this look, jewelry wasn’t necessary in the slightest. I popped on a pair of stud earrings made from Lego bricks and was ready to take pictures in my kitchen lol.

This Floral Flounce OOTD is FUN from top to bottom and I am in love with everything about it. I can’t wait to wear it out!

Have you updated your wardrobe for spring? What are some of your own fashion rules? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

V-Day Pt. 2 OOTD Bloopers

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V-Day Pt. 2 OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my V-Day Pt. 2 OOTD! Our big Valentine’s Day outing was doing a classic date night of dinner and a show. We had planned on enjoying a meal at the Lockview in downtown Akron before a viewing of our favorite musical, Hadestown, at EJ Thomas Hall. We had a wonderful time but, honestly, the whole evening kind of felt like a blooper reel in itself. Take a look at these SUPER blurry yikes shots and then read all about it:

Our evening began by heading to the Lockview for a quick bite before the show. We entered the restaurant and it was packed to the gills with no seating available for hours. It seemed like everyone in the greater Akron area had dinner plans there so we had to go back into the frigidly cold great outdoors to implement Plan B. Another restaurant was directly beside the Lockview so that was the move, until it wasn’t lol. That restaurant was closed and now we were in panic mode. We were both hungry AF and on a time crunch at that point to eat, take OOTD shots, find parking for the show, and arrive to our seats in time for the opening number.

With literally no other options available, we headed to the bar down the street because surely they had food! They did but, once again, everyone in the greater Akron area stole our plans lol. The joint was jumping when we walked in and it was insanely understaffed. Our poor waiter was running around like a mad man and we felt so bad. We placed our order and as we waited, we were glued to the time on our phones because we were getting down to the wire here. The show started at seven thirty and it was well after six. When our food did arrive, it was SO good but we had to wolf it down because by the time we were done, we had a little over thirty minutes to get ourselves to the theater and park the car.

As you can imagine, parking was an absolute fiasco and we blessedly found a spot in a nearby parking garage. The time check was 7:22 and when I tell you we RAN to the theater lol I was going to be damned if we missed one minute of the show! We arrived in our seats with mere minutes to spare and it probably wouldn’t have been the worst thing to be running late because this viewing of Hadestown sucked and I mean that most sincerely.

After we watched the first half of the bad dress rehearsal performance, we both waited in a seemingly endless line for the bathroom. And, by the time we climbed the stairs to our top balcony seats, we once again had minutes to spare before act two. The OOTD shots were the literal best we could do and even those weren’t great lol. So, yeah, this was a Blooper Reel evening through and through but I wouldn’t want to share it with anyone but my main squeeze! ❤

Once we got home from our date night, we had such a laugh about the whole situation and that was the perfect ending to our not accordingly to plan evening!

What was the last musical you saw? 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

V-Day Pt. 2 OOTD

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V-Day Pt. 2 OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to my better late than never V-Day Pt. 2 OOTD! Two weekends ago, Johnny and I wrapped up our Valentine’s Day celebrations by seeing our favorite musical, Hadestown, as EJ Thomas Hall in Akron. Unfortunately, the show left a lot to be desired but we still had a lot of fun! Also unfortunately, our location for our dinner beforehand was completely booked up and that left us in a mad dash to find another option and get to the theater in time. You can read all about that in the Blooper Reel but, long story short, we ended up taking OOTD shots during the super brief intermission of Hadestown. The lighting sucked, these pictures aren’t the best and kind of blurry, but it was the best we could do lol! Check it out:

Kisses Cami Top: A New Day, Target

Bubble Skirt: A New Day, Target

Heart Toe Kitten Heels: A New Day, Target

The earrings are also from Target and I’m SHOOK that there is nothing from TJMaxx in this look!

I used to LOVE shopping at Target until there came a point when I hated all of the clothes there lol. In fact, I rarely even go to Target anymore so I couldn’t believe how cute all of their Valentine’s Day apparel was during a random Target Run a few months ago. I really had no intention of getting a new outfit for mine and Johnny’s Hadestown date, but I just couldn’t help myself because the OOTD built itself in a matter of seconds. The cami and bubble skirt were on the same rack, the shoes were directly across from them, and I knew it would look great so I went for it!

The first thing that caught my eye in the store was definitely the cami top adorned with red lipstick kisses. I loved the silky material and despite having a holiday themed print, it is something that could be worn year round. That was especially enticing to me because I don’t want to just wear a piece once, but as long as the weather permits. This cami is delightfully reminiscent of my go to tops from French Rooster and it’s nice to have something different because I feel like I wear them all the time. Had I not bought a new outfit, I’m ninety-nine percent confident I would have ended up wearing one or the other of my tried and true camis for Hadestown.

Next, can we please talk about how cute the bubble skirt is?! I have always been enamored with bubble skirts because they are just so whimsical and fun. Until that fateful Target Run, I had never seen one in store so I had to jump on it. I’m elated that I did because it is, hands down, one of my favorite purchases of recent memory. This skirt paired with the cami tucked in created such a unique silhouette and it was freaking awesome. I have never seen myself in a shape like that and it was exciting to wear something so different from the norm. I felt like a ballerina model and what is better than that?!

Last but not least, was shoes and accessories. As I mentioned, the kitten heels by A New Day were just a glance away from the skirt and top. I would have paired this outfit with my Nine West kitten heels but how do you say no to those adorable heart toes? I am also obsessed with the see through sides, which is a style I love but have never found anything I liked enough to get. For jewelry, I chose an elegant pair of three tiered black gemstones to elongate my neck and that was that because my tattoos were my accessory department. 😀

Stay tuned for the Blooper Reel from this look because a majority of these pictures were bloopers and so was the entire evening leading up to the show!

What is your favorite holiday to dress for? What is your favorite pattern to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

V-Day Pt. 1 OOTD Bloopers

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V-Day Pt. 1 OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel of my V-Day Pt. 1 OOTD! The Part Two OOTD is on the way and as the old saying goes, better late than never lol. On Valentine’s Day, Johnny and I lived our best Middle Class Fancy lives with a dinner at Red Lobster. We had SO much fun and I cannot wait for our next MCF night on the town. It really is one of our relationship staples and I am incredibly curious about what chain restaurant we will go to next. As always, I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Olive Garden! Now, let’s talk a look at these bloopers:

Johnny and I have fallen into a deep Investigation Discovery wormhole and I am so not complaining about it. This all started a few months ago when we came to the conclusion that we had nothing to watch after work. We no longer wanted to be depressed by watching Law & Order: SVU and didn’t want to apply the think work to documentaries after a long day. So, Johnny suggested we watch Who The F*** Did I Marry? and we binged it until there were no episodes left. We didn’t mourn this loss because next on our agenda was my personal favorite, Web Of Lies, which revolved around cyber crimes. Like its predecessor, we made quick work of that show too.

We are currently watching Fear Thy Neighbor and, guys, this show is f’ing NUTS lol. I’ll be the first to admit, the first few seasons were hit or miss but the episodes in the later seasons are CRAZY. As you might have guessed, this show is all about super petty feuds between neighbors that turn deadly. Typically, the fights all start with something like too much noise or a dispute on property lines and, I’ve gotta tell you, I just don’t get it!

Mine and Johnny’s running joke throughout the show is “Clearly, they have never lived in an apartment”. In our extensive tenure in our apartment community, we have definitely had some loud AF neighbors and not once have we ever filed a noise complaint. It’s just not worth it! Partying, kids playing outside, and people arguing is just a fact of life. Also, our current neighbor is the best so we won’t be picking fights with a senior citizen anytime soon. Fear Thy Neighbor is, honestly, ridiculous. However, if you are looking for a “WTF” show to put on, I can’t recommend it enough. 😀

Investigation Discovery has become our go to network and I drive home from work every day looking forward to the next installment of our current binge show. I cannot WAIT to watch some more!

What are you currently watching? What is your favorite Investigation Discovery program? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah