Tag Archives: shopping

Oct8

Fall Flannels OOTD

Posted on October 8, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred!! This past Saturday, I enjoyed a wonderful lunch with one of my girlfriends and ran a few errands with Johnny afterwards. It was a chill day and perfectly matched my laid back mood because it had been a really long week. In fact, “chill” also meant the weather because it has finally started to cool down in my neck of the woods! To accommodate my low key disposition and the shift in the weather, I decided to break out a fall staple: The flannel. No fashion blog is complete without at least one flannel OOTD come autumn and I chose this weekend to partake. Take a look:

Who? What? Wear?

Red Flannel: This was a Christmas gift from my sister and it’s from Express

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Heeled Combat Boots: Forever 21

Cheetah Bling Necklace: Natasha, TJMaxx

Stud Earrings: American Eagle Outfitters

The beanie was a gift from a stupid ex-boyfriend lolol

I began building this fit by browsing through the flannel department in my boutique. I have a ton of oversize flannels that I prefer to tie around my waist rather than actually wear. More fitted flannels were what I required and that limited my choices significantly as I only had three. Rather than the black or white options, Lil Red went with red! This gifted Express flannel was just what I needed – a nice, bright color and a fit that I could button up without looking like I was drowning in fabric.

Black skinny jeans were a given to pair with the flannel. I could imagine it would have looked cute with blue jeans but you all know I would never be caught dead in a pair of traditional denim! So, that brings us onto shoes and accessories. I didn’t have any intention of wearing a beanie with this outfit. However, my hair just did not want to behave itself. It was one of those days where no matter what I did, I wasn’t happy with it. Probably because I am itching for my hair appointment at the end of the month! Because of this major annoyance, a beanie it was and I opted for one with the phrase “Bad Hair Day” and truer words have never been printed for the current situation. I received this from an ex for Christmas and, normally, I would never keep anything from someone I hate. This beanie is something I couldn’t toss because I like it so much and it has gotten me out of many bad hair days past lol.

Once my hair problem was solved, it was time to complete the look. For the remainder of my accessories, I put on one of my favorite chunky gold necklaces by Natasha. It features a blinged out big cat of some kind and it made such a statement splash smack dab in the middle of the flannel. I kept things simple with earrings and added a small pair of gold studs so nothing would clash with the focal point necklace. Finally, I put on a pair of stark white heeled combat boots. I loved how the crisp color popped against the red and black of the outfit’s base. With that, I was ready to go!!

Johnny told me this look was very Alanis Morissette and I couldn’t agree more. I certainly felt like a grunge queen while wearing it!

What is your favorite fall wardrobe staple? Which celebrity style do you admire? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct4

On The Move OOTD Bloopers

Posted on October 4, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my On The Move OOTD! On Saturday, we took our darling niece out for Treat Day and the most fun was had by all. I even got all dressed down for the occasion, which is something that rarely happens in a normal OOTD post. Hey, sometimes you’ve got to shake things up – exactly what the blooper reel is all about! Let’s take a lookieloo at some WTF moments from the shoot:

Lumbering around an apartment complex near you

She sticks the landing!!!!! #GOAT

I swear I’m not calling you all losers, I was doing my impression of taking pictures lol

Clearly feeling really swell in this one! 😀

Putting some STANK on it

Easy, breezy, beautiful CoverGirl

Johnny and I are avid fans of scary movies and we watch them all year round. They just hit different during spooky season, though! Every October, Johnny and I attempt to watch a scary movie per day to complete the thirty-one movies in thirty-one days challenge. Have we ever completed it? Absolutely not, but we sure do like to try lol. If nothing else, it gives us something to look forward to when we are both home from work and up for a movie screening.

As per our tradition, we alternate between who is picking the movie. Thank goodness because I think we would spend all evening deciding if we went with the mutual option route. Johnny and I have extremely different tastes in scary movies. He loves a slasher and the dumber the better (Winnie the Pooh Blood & Honey, anyone?). Myself, on the other hand, much prefers dark psychological thrillers. They might not always have a jump scare aspect to it, but I really like that they make you think. We are definitely in for an… interesting array of movies all October long!

Regardless of what we watch, I so enjoy a cozy evening in with my main squeeze. Even if he makes fun of me every time I’m startled (Which is often)! 😀

Which scary movies should we add to our watch list? What is your favorite scary movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct3

On The Move OOTD

Posted on October 3, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Johnny and I like to try and have an outing together every weekend. When it is just us we, of course, dress however we want. This past weekend, however, we had company – our five year old niece. The plan was a Treat Day at an indoor amusement center and it was going to be very much on the go. Since our day promised SO many activities, I *gasp* dressed sensibly for the occasion. This On The Move OOTD is pretty much as casual as it gets for yours truly, which is definitely not something I’m used to! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Crop Top: Been Trill, PacSun

Distressed Skinny Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Cheetah Print Boots: Circus By Sam Edelman, TJMaxx

Lego Earrings: AbbieDabbles

To begin this look, I went browsing in an area of Lil Red’s Boutique that I don’t shop in often: The chest of drawers. One of the drawers is home to casual tops including crops, tanks, and T’s. Normally, this is not where I would go to style what is my usual weekend ensembles. But, in the case of Treat Day, I was exactly where I needed to be. The last thing I wanted was to wear one of my “good” tops with the almost certain risk of stains and snags! I was in an All Black Everything mood so I went for a Been Trill crop top. This was purchased literally FOREVER ago when I worked at PacSun so it is a total throwback. Regardless of the fact that the crop is over a decade old, I think it still looks great!

Next on the agenda was jeans and I chose my super distressed skinnies from American Eagle Outfitters. The color is still so crispy (Even after three plus years of wear!) and they are just right for an All Black Everything OOTD. These jeans were the only option I considered because all of the other black skinnies I own are horribly faded. I haven’t bought AEO denim since said purchase of super distressed skinnies so I’m making a mental note to fix that ASAP. 😀

Finally, it was time for shoes and accessories. Rather than my preferred platforms, I opted for an amazing pair of ankle boots by Sam Edelman. The shape, buckles, and cheetah print pop are just so cool and Johnny’s biggest regret is not having the same shoe size as me because these are his fave! And, yes, they do have a baby heel which made me happy. 🙂 If it wasn’t Treat Day, I would have added some huge, chunky gold jewelry to this look – but, alas, it was Treat Day. So, I popped on a small pair of Lego bats and was ready for an afternoon adventure with my two BFFs!

I genuinely can’t wait to get dressed up for real next weekend – fall fits are calling my name. I’ll return the call next Saturday so stay tuned for more fashion fun on lifewithlilred!

Do you usually dress up or down? What is a casual look for you like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct2

Werk At Work OOTD Bloopers

Posted on October 2, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Werk At Work OOTD! Today, we are going to take a look at the bad and the yikes that came from a speedy shoot before I had to be at a content shoot. I like to think that my best face was put forward during my evening of making some media magic. These shots, however, certainly don’t fall under that category in the slightest! Let’s get to it:

A sultry gaze just for you! ❤

When there aren’t any paper towels in the bathroom

A surprise conversation with my neighbor, Tony!! (He’s the best!)

Using the power of my mind to shoot laser beams

I’M SEXY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TFYM when you’re eating an entire lemon

Live. Laugh. Love.

On Saturday, Johnny and I had a delightful treat day with our eldest niece. She recently started kindergarten and we are SO proud of her, so we just had to take her out and celebrate. We visited an indoor amusement center that features arcade games, laser tag, roller skating, trampolines, rides, etc. Her favorite thing is the gigantic playground smack dab in the middle of the facility. It is basically a McDonald’s PlayPlace on steroids and it seriously looks like the funnest thing ever lol. Unfortunately, us big people could only hang on the bottom floor of the playground… Until this weekend, that is!

As Johnny and I watched our niece explore, we both agreed that we really wanted to go down one of the enormous slides. We were the only people in the play area so we figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask the attendant and he said… NO. -_- Of course, we understood but were secretly peeved about it so we activated stealth mode. As we were standing around, Johnny clocked that the attendant had his back turned and told me he was going to go down the slide anyways. Like a thief in the night, he made his way up the towering structure and was simply gleeful when he emerged at the bottom of the slide. And, as the ride or die that he is, he stood guard as I took a trip down the slide too. We felt most cheeky with our small act of rebellion and it was one thousand percent worth it – that slide was amazing!

One of Johnny’s favorite things to do when playing video games is “being sneaky” and it definitely translated in real life. We all had the best day!!

What did you do this past weekend? What is your favorite place to visit with your kiddos? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct1

Halloween Haul

Posted on October 1, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! In my neck of the woods, Marc’s is a beloved staple. It is a discount grocery store (with lots of random odds and ends) and my family visits it fairly frequently. Around this time of the year, all kinds of Halloween goodies find a home in their “closeout aisle” (that features said random odds and ends). As soon as this happens, my dad always notifies me so I can get first dibs and it never fails to leave me feeling #blessed lol. This past week, I made a Marc’s run to see if there was anything noteworthy and there sure was! I am officially done with my Halloween (all year round) decor shopping from this fun haul. Check it out:

Surprisingly, the first thing I clocked on the shelves wasn’t any of the bigger treats. It was actually the teeny tiny salt and pepper shaker shaped like The Count from Sesame Street. I literally clutched my pearls when I saw it because I knew Johnny would love it. In his youth, one of the Halloween costumes his mom made for him was of The Count, his favorite character. He looks back on all of the costumes crafted by his mom most fondly and he couldn’t believe my fifty cent find. Unfortunately, it was the only one left so a set wasn’t possible, but I think this lone shaker was meant to find a place on our spooky shelves!

I also added a few tiny treat yoselfs to the mix too. I have desperately needed a new travel tumbler so I can sip on water throughout the day. All of mine are too small and constantly need refilling which is inconvenient, but I never cared to spend an arm and a leg on a new one because they can be rather expensive. I scored the ghost adorned tumbler for three bucks and it is the perfect size and matches all my spooky vibes. The jack-o-lantern tights were also a three dollar addition and I am obsessed. I have seen this design of tights before and never bought them for myself so I can’t wait to break them out with skater skirts this season.

After going through the smaller odds and ends of the closeout aisle, I browsed through the bigger pieces of decor. There, I walked away with the most adorable light up vampire and a walking and light up turtle skeleton. Yes, these were partially for Johnny and I BUT I knew our eldest niece would be delighted by them. She is a huge fan of our Halloween decor and Halloween in general and we are so unbelievably happy for it. I know for a fact that she will want to use the vampire as a nightlight during our next slumber party and will, without a doubt in my mind, make the skele-turtle chase her Uncle Johnny! We have instilled a love for Halloween in her since she has been born and it is the absolute best to share in the season with her. ❤

With that, My Halloween shopping is complete and it couldn’t have ended on a cuter note. As always, discount stores for the win!!!!

How are you decorating for Halloween? What is your favorite Halloween candy? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep28

Werk At Work OOTD

Posted on September 28, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! I took a trip to Misnyland on Tuesday to do some filming for a video series launching on the social media pages I manage this October. It was SO much fun and it is always a nice little treat to get myself done up during the work week. Nine times out of ten, you can catch me in jeans, a T-shirt, and a makeup free face so it was definitely a change of pace! Before heading out, Johnny graciously snapped these shots of my Werk At Work OOTD:

Who? What? Wear?

Cardigan: Jessica Simpson, TJMaxx

Cami Top: mittoshop, French Rooster

Bodycon Skirt: Originality, Dry Goods

Kitten Heels: Nine West, TJMaxx

Turquoise Earrings: Lucky Brand, TJMaxx

Sometimes when I put an outfit together, it is completely off the top of my head. In this instance, however, I had the OOTD planned the day before because I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time to go shopping in my closet beforehand. Thankfully, it turned out exactly how I hoped it would – something work appropriate while still having that extra dose of Lil Red flare. As a social media manager, it gives me permission to have a lot of fun with what I wear while on the job and I take full advantage of it.

As I built the outfit in my head, I began with the bodycon skirt by Originality. It is one of my absolute favorites and the color palette was perfect for welcoming the first few official days of fall. I liked this skirt for work because it offered some shape without being completely curve hugging. Pairing it with a simple pair of black tights also added a classy and practical touch. My legs sure as hell weren’t shaved!! 😀

Because the pattern on the skirt was so bold, all that was left to do was slip on and tuck in one of my go to cami tops by mittoshop. I am most fond of a combination like this as it gives the illusion of wearing a dress. On a night out, I would leave the outfit at this and roll out. Spaghetti straps for work are a no no, though, so I opted for a gorgeous cream colored cardigan by Jessica Simpson to cover them up. The soft hue and flower embroidery on this cardi are just the sweetest and it helped tone down any sex appeal from the cami’s lace detailing.

With the base of the outfit sorted, it was time to move on to shoes and accessories. The Nine West kitten heels were a given. I live for the sassy pointed toe and that darling band of bling! I know I always pair the bodycon skirt with these heels, but I truly don’t own anything else that would work as well or better. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! With no open real estate for bracelets or necklaces, I popped on a dangly pair of turquoise teardrop earrings and was ready for my content shoot.

My Werk At Work OOTD came together just as I imagined and thank goodness because I didn’t have a moment to spare!

What is your favorite fall color? How do you add your personal style to work outfits? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep27

Spooky Surprises

Posted on September 27, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Halloween decor reigns supreme in my household all year round and Johnny and I add a few new things every year when the stores shift to spooky season. For the past two years, my contribution were snow globes with a Halloween twist. I really liked the idea of getting one new snow globe per year as a tradition. During our date day, we made a visit to TJMaxx and, unfortunately, their snow globe selection left a lot to be desired. We did, however, find this ultra cool skull that I am obsessed with! Check it out:

As we made our rounds through spooky decor, everything was pretty picked over. There were a few things that we took note of but nothing worth buying. That is, until the red skull with blinged out devil horns caught my eye. It was the very last one on the shelf and as soon as I saw the ten dollar price tag, it was immediately added to our cart. We are seasoned pros when it comes to Halloween decorations but I had never seen anything quite like this before. This skull is so different from anything we have and its brilliant shade of red speaks sweet nothings to my Lil Red heart. It certainly makes a statement on our many spooky shelves!!

One final little treat I purchased for myself was a pair of Betsey Johnson spiderweb tights. They were expertly placed in the catch all aisle as you are waiting to check out and that really is where TJMaxx gets you! I am a huge fan of all things Betsey and these tights are just what I needed for fall. Literally every pair I have is riddled with holes and while these are holey, they are purposeful lol. Patterned tights are an amazing way to shake up sweater dresses and skater skirts. They also look so edgy and cool when worn under shorts. I cannot wait to break my spiderweb pair out to add some spooky flare to any OOTD. 😀

These Spooky Surprises were the perfect, cost effective little somethings to bring home during our date day shopping trip. The best surprise, though, is the fact that Johnny asked me to go to TJMaxx in the first place!! 🙂

Do you and your partner like to shop together? What are your favorite stores to visit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep26

Date Day OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 26, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Date Day OOTD! Johnny and I got all prettied up this past weekend for an afternoon on the town and we had the best time. We have been together for over five years and married for three of them. I still get butterflies when I see my main squeeze and it makes even the most simple outings of shopping and lunch feel special. Everything about our day was perfect… minus these blooper shots, anyways! Lol check it out:

As I mentioned yesterday, the flutter sleeves of the top occasionally fluttered a bit too much!

When wind in the hair goes horribly wrong. Example one:

Example two:

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This had the potential for a lovely picture if my face wasn’t doing that!

Something STANK

Contemplating my life in its entirety

See ya next time!!!!!!!!

This little story has nothing to do with date day, but everything to do with what is currently happening in my apartment at this exact moment. It is six in the morning as I type this and it’s raining cats and dogs out. I absolutely love rainy days and my bunnies, Melvin and Penelope, really enjoy them too. Normally, they are pretty rambunctious in the morning and are getting into adorable mischief. When it rains, however, they shift into pensive mode and use that time to have their bunny reflections.

One of Melvin and Penelope’s favorite spots to chill is behind their hutch next to a big window. Said window offers a four inch or so sill that they always try to chew on and requires constant intervention… Except for when it rains! Rather than chew, the bunnies will put their little front paws on the ledge and watch the weather. It is basically the cutest thing ever but I can never get a picture of it before they beeline away! The running joke between Johnny and me is that it would be SO funny if we could capture this moment while “Thank You” by Dido plays in the background. If you are unfamiliar with the title of the song, you might recognize its lyrics of:

My tea’s gone cold, I’m wondering why
I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window
And I can’t see at all
And even if I could, it’d all be gray
But your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it’s not so bad
It’s not so bad

Long story short, that is what is going on in real time at chez moi and it definitely gave me my laughs for the morning. Our rainy day bunnies will never not be funny to us!

What do your pets do that makes you laugh? What is your favorite rainy day activity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep25

Date Day OOTD

Posted on September 25, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Yesterday we discussed a lovely little Date Day from this past weekend and no date day would be complete without a killer outfit. During the work week, Johnny and I do the bare minimum when it comes to getting ready for work. When we have plans over the weekend, however, it’s a totally different story! Both of us are incredibly passionate about fashion so when we step out, we always do so in our Sunday best. Here is what I wore for our out and about adventure:

Who? What? Wear?

Flutter Sleeve Top: Japna, TJMaxx

Distressed Skinny Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Two Toned Loafers: Steve Madden, Walmart

Mustard Yellow Purse: Chillx By LeMiel, TJMaxx

While my heart is screaming fall, the weather in Ohio has yet to catch up and we are still experiencing summer like temperatures. This is not ideal for Johnny and me because 1) We hate hot weather. And 2) As soon as September hits I fall back into the routine of wearing jeans again, stop shaving my legs, and have no desire for anyone else to see the old woolly mammoths should I wear shorts lol. The name of the game for this weather is ventilation – staying cool and breezy despite not wearing fully summer appropriate clothes. With that in mind, I knew exactly what to do to keep myself comfortable and I most definitely was all day!

For starters, I slipped on a darling little number by Japna for the top. Other than green being one of my favorite colors to wear, this shirt was chosen more for practicality’s sake. The material is so light, the back is slightly open, and the cropped style matched the word of the day of ventilation. And, of course, I just can’t get enough of those flutter sleeves! They provided the most amazing movement every time the wind picked up and I felt like a butterfly taking off… Most of the time, anyways. You’ll see what I mean in the blooper reel so peep that coming soon. 😀

For pantaloons, I chose my all time favorite pair of distressed skinnies from American Eagle Outfitters. Talk about ventilation, am I right?! The holes on the thighs of these jeans are massive, so much so that it almost did feel like wearing shorts. Although these jeans are pretty old, they still have retained their jet black original appearance because I avoid washing them like the plague – the last thing they need is more holes! Because the black denim was still nice and crispy, it helped compliment the same color striping on the top even more.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. Now, normally, I am not a matchy matchy kind of gal. However, I had to make an exception in this case because the two toned Steve Madden loafers were just too perfect to not wear with this look. Was the green on the soles of the loafers a perfect match to the top? No, and that’s okay because they were close enough and still formed top to bottom cohesion. For accessories, I selected a few bracelets and my signature pair of dangly black cross earrings and I was ready to step out with my honey!

I felt dynamite in my Date Day OOTD and I loved how it turned out. A great day deserves a great outfit too!

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

Sep24

Date Day!

Posted on September 24, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! These past few weeks have been insanely busy for me and Johnny and by the time the weekends rolled around, we were too wiped out to do much of anything. After a lull in the craziness, I couldn’t wait for this weekend because Johnny and I made plans for a date day on Saturday. Date days are my absolute favorite thing in the world and it was so nice to get dressed up and go out with my main squeeze after a few sedentary weekends in a row. We hit up both of our happy place stores (Can you guess mine?!) and one of our happy place restaurants too. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

On Friday night, Johnny asked one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard… “Can we go to TJMaxx on Saturday?”. It was literal music to my ears and the answer was a resounding YES. A few years ago, Johnny had an amazing haul of spooky themed socks from TJs and was hoping to find more. This is where our date day began and, unfortunately, there were no spooky socks to be found. We did, however, walk away with a few treats for ourselves including a fabulous new addition to our Halloween decor. It is one of my new favorite things so be sure to peep that later!

After a semi successful bout of shopping, we were both famished and made our way to Barrio for lunch next. Barrio is an Ohio thing where you can build your own tacos. The order sheet looks like a test you would take at school when you have to fill in bubbles for your answer, but you never have to worry about getting anything wrong! It is one of our go to restaurants whenever we are in the general vicinity and it never gets old despite the fact that I get the same thing every single time lol. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! We got tacos for there, tacos to go, and obvi had to get a few margs too. Johnny opted for a flight with a bunch of tropical flavors while I went with my usual – lime, on the rocks, salt on the rim. I was in heaven. ❤

To end our date, we went to Johnny’s store selection called The Exchange which is a buy, sell, trade for video games, movies, records, and everything in between. We were on the hunt to further expand Johnny’s already massive record collection and we did so with some Ghost and Alice Cooper. Then, we returned home to watch Winnie the Pooh Blood & Honey lol. It was just as ridiculous as it sounds but surprisingly really entertaining. Afterwards, we put our new records to good use as the soundtrack to play Diablo IV to. They set the vibe perfectly!

As always, our Date Day was the best day with the best company. Stay tuned for the OOTD from our little adventure!

What is your ideal date day? What is your favorite local restaurant? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on A Little Update
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