Tag Archives: shopping

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2

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A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2

Hello! Despite a crazy couple of weeks, a blogger’s work is never over and I was able to work in a brand new OOTD shoot. Although the backdrop of my dad’s garden is the same as the last, you sometimes just have to roll with it and I’ll get to a different location when things slow down. Regardless of the where, the “wear” was fabulous and I love this little summertime look:

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We interrupt this shoot to feature a bunny in the backyard:

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Who? What? Wear?

I actually wore this outfit for mine and Johnny’s housewarming/birthaversary party at the end of May. I have been meaning to take pictures of it ever since because I think that it’s just the cutest. I am obsessed with my mom’s jean jacket and using it as an add on piece makes this OOTD ideal for a cool spring day or a summer evening. With or without, the outfit is great so if it gets too warm, all you need to do is take it off!

Both the top and bottom in this look were purchased during a recent TJMaxx Haul. You might also recognize the shoes from my White Hot OOTD. My super happy dream world would consist of different clothes and shoes for every day of the year but the Sbicca wedges were a very obvious choice for this outfit and color palette.

While I love the Premise pants, I will be the first to admit that they are a bit tricky to style. It was an instance when I had to utilize one of my TJMaxx Shopping Pro Tips and take a second round through the store to find a top to go with it. In fact, the Love On A Hanger top is still the only top that I own that goes with the pants so this is a look that I can’t bust out too frequently.

I’m sure we all have a piece of clothing that you adore but don’t know what to wear with it and my advice is as follows:

As you can see from this outfit, the LOAH top was not a perfect match to the pants in terms of the base color or embroidery. Neither was the blue in the shoes. However, it worked because the colors still came from the same family.

It’s easy to think that this closes off your options but it opens them up exponentially. It would be rare to find an exact color match to the China dish patterned pants. But, I pulled from the white and added a cream top and from the indigo pattern on the pants I added navy, periwinkle, and denim. According to this rule, I could wear an admiral or steel blue top with the pants and get away with it – Now, the trick is finding one!

Patterned pants are a new thing in my wardrobe simply because it’s hard to find ones I like and styling them is more difficult than a patterned top. Don’t let this scare you, though! Perfect matches for your top and shoes are boring and multiple shades of one color will add visual interest and something special to your OOTD!

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

PS: Tune in tomorrow to peep my new nails and then keep it posted the following day for bonus pics and bloopers from this shoot! ❤

Bath & Body Works August Freebies

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Bath & Body Works August Freebies

Hello!! I had lots of coupons from Bath & Body Works including twenty percent off a purchase as well as a free full sized product and wallflower. I went in planning on just getting a free shower gel because I don’t use their wall plugins. However, I changed my mind about that very quickly when I saw that their Halloween line was already available! The twenty percent off definitely came in handy lol.

Today, we’ll be chatting about the freebies because they are a delight. You can also peep a sneak peek at the full haul which we’ll be discussing in detail tomorrow! Let’s get to it:

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I haven’t been in Bath & Body Works in ages as I do my hand soap shopping online and my beauty care hoard is still well stocked. I planned on using my freebie coupon for another Gingham Love shower gel because it is my current favorite. There were so many new to me scents available, though, that I decided to live a little and try something new!

For my shower gel, I went with Summer Melody and it is so lovely. With fragrance notes of golden honeydew and bronzed vanilla, it smells just like a freshly made fruit salad. Oddly enough, I hate honeydew and always pick it out of my fruit salads but that’s beside the point because apparently I love the way it smells! This is going to be a perfect shower gel to use during the dark days of winter when we could all use an extra dose of sunshine.

The wallflower that I chose is the first one I have ever owned and I can’t think of a better option than Vampire Blood from the Halloween line. I used this fragrance last year in hand sanitizer form and it is still one of my faves. Vampire Blood features strawberry, plum, and jasmine and it is such a bold, rich scent. Normally, I am not a huge fan of floral scents like jasmine but the fragrance notes of it are minimal. It is the ideal spooky scent to use with my new Halloween plugs!

I cannot wait for all of you to see the rest of my haul tomorrow because the light up plugs have a spooky surprise. See you then!

What holiday line from Bath & Body Works is your favorite? What is your go to B&BW scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Couple’s Country Concert Photo Shoot

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Couple’s Country Concert Photo Shoot

Hello! This past Friday, Johnny and I got dressed up in our country best to go see Willie Nelson at Blossom Music Center. We didn’t end up attending the show but if you have a killer OOTD and didn’t take pictures, then did you really wear it at all? Lol, Johnny ended up snapping some pics of me like the amazing blog husband that he is and we took pictures of us together afterwards. They turned out ultra cute minus one MAJOR issue – can you spot it? *Massive eye roll*

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Who? What? Wear? Johnny’s OOTD:

  • Button down Western shirt: Straight To Hell
  • Skinny jeans: Hot Topic
  • Pointed toe boots: Amazon

If you said that the glaring problem with these pictures is that Johnny is flipping off the camera, then you are absolutely right! I seriously had no idea and when I commented on how nice the pictures of us turned out, Johnny started laughing. I asked what was so funny and then the realization dawned on me. Guys, I was SO. Freaking. Annoyed lol. It’s not just that he’s flipping the bird – it’s how pleased with himself he looks in all of them. He seriously looks happy as a clam and I know damn well it’s not because he was taking pictures with me! SMH!!

After I did a quick look through of the pictures taken, I made us a simple dinner of quesadillas and my annoyance quickly dissipated. While I was finishing up in the kitchen, Johnny took his first bite and went “mmmmmmmmm” and I just melted haha. He is always so appreciative of my cooking and it never fails to warm my heart. After that little display of cuteness, I was able to forgive but I will NEVER forget. Husbands, am I right? 😀

This concludes my Country Concert OOTD series and I can’t think of a better, sillier way to wrap things up. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did making it and keep it posted for lots more fun on lifewithlilred!

What is something annoying that your partner does? How about something adorable? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Country Concert OOTD Bloopers

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Country Concert OOTD Bloopers

Hello!! It’s time to wrap up my Country Concert OOTD with everyone’s favorite segment: The blooper reel! I don’t know about all of you, but some of my favorite parts of comedy movies happen in the bloopers during the credits. It’s a true testament to not everything being a perfect take – for actors and influencers alike. Before I began doing blooper posts, the following pictures would have been deleted without a second thought. Now, I think otherwise and love sharing them with you:

Waving to my fans on the red (or green) carpet

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Practicing my zombie walk

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Three cheers for me!!!!

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I have NO idea what is happening here

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Yoo-hoo!

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Nothing like a good old fashioned dismount shot

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About to spill the tea to Johnny

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Always keeping those nails fresh!

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Pissed off when Johnny told me the mailboxes were in the background lol SMH

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It’s safe to say that none of these shots would make the cut as the cover of my country album “Timbertop” (In honor of my apartment community) but they certainly have a place here on lifewithlilred. Actually… Now that I think of it, Timbertop is a great name for a country album! For me, OOTD shoots are a lot of play and little work and it’s fun to team up with Johnny to create some photography magic – the good, the bad, and the yikes!

Tune in tomorrow for one more peek at my Country Concert OOTD in the form of a couple’s shoot with Johnny. The pictures are pretty adorable minus one glaring issue… You’ll know what I mean when you see it!

What is your favorite comedy movie? Do you delete or save “bad” pictures? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Country Concert OOTD Bonus Pics

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Country Concert OOTD Bonus Pics

Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pics from my Country Concert OOTD! Although we didn’t end up going to said country concert of Willie Nelson, I got tons of pictures that I love to show for it so I guess it all worked out lol. This OOTD was a blast to style and even more fun to wear! My inner Dolly Parton was able to burst free and I felt like a total country diva. Take a look at some bonus pics so good that they should be outlawed (See what I did there?!):

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Wearing this outfit was very interesting to me because it is not even close to my usual personal style at all. I’m sure all of you can agree! However, it was a true testament to the confidence that a great outfit can give – regardless of of it’s something that you would normally wear or not. When I first put this OOTD on, I admit that I was slightly self conscious. Then, I began playing with the fringe and dancing around in the mirror and I was transformed!

What has always drawn me to fashion is that it gives you the opportunity to be whoever you want on any given day. My standard look is a combination of glam rock and punk but who says that I can’t be a country superstar or a posh theater goer? When you dress the part and have the confidence to pull it off is when you can start having real fun with styling without limiting yourself to your signature style.

I can honestly say that this is an outfit that I would wear again without the catch of attending a country show. Is it a bit much? Absolutely. But, so am I so what difference does it make? I felt AMAZING in this OOTD and that’s all that matters to me. So, if you have a look that you’re on the fence about but feel good in: Wear it anyway!! It will be an excellent practice in your own self confidence and you’ll end up feeling glad that you took the risk.

Tomorrow, tune in for a new watercolor painting project. Then, it will be on to bloopers from this look and a couple’s photo shoot! See you then! ❤

How would you describe your personal style? What makes you feel confident? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Country Concert OOTD

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Country Concert OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past Friday, Johnny and I were supposed to see ZZ Top and Willie Nelson at Blossom Music Center. However, we decided at the last minute that we weren’t comfortable going due to the newest highly contagious COVID variant. My sister is about to have her baby (Yay!!) and we didn’t want to take any risks to prevent us from seeing our new niece.

Even though we didn’t attend the concert, taking pictures was an obvious must because your girl was feeling herself! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

When it came to styling an OOTD for a Country Concert, I had literally no options in my wardrobe lol. Thankfully, Johnny has plenty! The Rock N’ Roll Cowgirl shirt is his and, yes, he is my lil rock n’ roll cowgirl! I love wearing my husband’s clothes and adore his personal style so marrying him was like inheriting another wardrobe – GREAT SUCCESS!! 😀

I have actually been lusting over the silk fringe button down for ages and never had an opportunity to wear it. Although no one but Johnny saw me in it on Friday, it was still really fun to wear and take pictures in! I loved the way the fringe moved and had a blast dancing around and invoking my inner rock n’ roll cowgirl lol. It was seriously the perfect top to wear for a country show and so easy to style an OOTD around.

Little blue jean shorts were a must for a country concert and I’ve said it numerous times and I’ll say it again: The shorts from American Eagle are simply the best. They are so flattering, not too short, and fit well without being really tight. The distressed detailing on these shorts also added a little country flare and I found myself thinking “I feel like Dolly Parton” the entire time we were taking pictures. It. Was. Awesome. 😀

Of course, some cowboy boots would be the way to go for a country inspired OOTD. However, I didn’t go this route and chose my army green Guess wedges, instead. As someone barely over 5’1, it’s important for me to create length in all of my OOTDs. Flat shoes would have made me look squat in this outfit and we can’t have that! Although my wedges aren’t country in the slightest, I loved how the army green complimented the mustard yellow and burgundy flowers on the top.

To complete my Country Concert OOTD, I tied things together with my grandpa’s bolo tie. I have quite a few of his bolo ties from his days of line dancing with my grandma and I’ve never been able to wear any of them. It was SO special to me to have it on and it looked amazing with the rest of my outfit. The burnt orange stone and brown leather against the cream colored button down was stunning!

Even though I was all dressed up with nowhere to go, I am obsessed with this OOTD. I hope you can find inspiration from it if you are attending any country festivals this summer. Keep it posted for more pics from this shoot, bloopers, and an adorable couple’s photo shoot with Johnny!

Have you attended any concerts this summer? Who is your favorite country artist? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Date Day (Ish) OOTD

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Date Day (Ish) OOTD

Hello!! This past Saturday, Johnny and I had plans for a date day that went sour because he had a lil belly ache. We were supposed to go out to lunch (Which we did), take OOTD pics (Which we sort of did), and have drinks at our favorite bar (Which we didn’t). For lunch, we went to a brewery down the street called R. Shea’s and it was SO yummy but when a wave of nausea hit Johnny it was pretty much game over from there lol. Peep this glorious grilled cheese, though!

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^^^ Cilantro jalapeño hummus for an appetizer and a beer cheese grilled cheese for the main dish. Still daydreaming about it!

After lunch, we headed home and Johnny rallied enough to take some quick pics in the apartment because I loved the outfit I had on:

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^^^ Lol, I honestly forget what Johnny said to warrant that face in the last picture but it is such a mood!

Who? What? Wear?

  • Persimmon top: Solitaire, TJMaxx
  • Skort: Almost Famous, TJMaxx
  • Heels: Reaction By Kenneth Cole, TJMaxx
  • The belt is from some store in the mall that doesn’t exist anymore
  • The cuff bracelet is from Aerie, which I also got forever ago

Although I didn’t get a full photo series of this Date Day (Ish) OOTD, I still love it all the same. This look is a really good example of a color blocked outfit and is exactly what I pictured when I purchased the Solitaire top during my last TJMaxx haul. There are a few rules of thumb to follow for a successful color blocked OOTD so let’s discuss:

Colors That Compliment:

The best and most obvious rule for optimum success is to choose colors that compliment. As you can see, aside from my black skort that acted as a neutral, I went with a warmer palette for everything else. You want the colors that you use to interact with each other in the most positive way for a cohesive look.

Try looking at the rainbow for inspiration. For example, if I had a yellow skort, it would have worked just as well as the black since red, orange, and yellow work together in tandem. For a more jewel toned look, the base of this OOTD in green, blue, and violet would be ideal. If you want to do some advanced color blocking, take a look at a color wheel to use true complimentary colors like blue and orange or red and green.

Choose Clothing Styles Wisely:

A color blocked outfit is a huge accessory in itself and we all know that too much of a good thing can take away from the overall look. I kept things sleek in my OOTD and used the top as the main piece and then incorporated matching accessories. But maybe you want to do something more bold and we’ll use ruffles and complementary colors as an example…

Let’s say you have a magenta top with ruffled tank sleeves and you want to pair it with a bright green skirt. This alone would be a great choice but you could take it a step further. What if your green skirt has ruffle accents too? Then, it would be a home run because you’re using complimenting colors AND styles.

Different types of styling all demand cohesion and some options, like mixing and matching, allow you to be really creative. Of course, you are being creative with color blocking but it’s also a logical way of styling too. By observing not only colors that complement but styles too, you are going to have a cohesive look no matter what you choose. That’s just brain power, baby!

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^^^ Lil buddy was all tuckered out after his big day!

Despite not having many pictures of this Date Day (Ish) OOTD, I hope you learned a thing or two about color blocking. This is one of the easier styling methods so don’t be afraid to break out the color wheel and have some fun!

Do you prefer to wear warm or cool colors? What is your favorite styling technique? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

 

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Bonus Pics

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A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Bonus Pics

Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pics from my Stroll In The Garden OOTD! This is neither here nor there but, as I type this, there is something stuck in my eye and it’s super uncomfortable/annoying. Happy Monday, am I right? ANYWHO, this little OOTD was shot by my dad and he did a bang up job! And, something very special happened afterwards so let’s get to it:

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My niece, Valerie, was over when we were taking these pictures and was outside with my mom while my dad was snapping pics. Val is my lil BFF and she is always joined at my hip whenever we are together so it was pretty amazing that these pictures could even happen! Now, normally, Val refuses to get her picture taken so we were all shocked when the unthinkable happened… She said she wanted to take pictures too!

After a few more minutes of OOTD pics, I was able to take Val’s pictures and it warmed my cold, bitter heart like no other. We all knew it was because she wanted to be doing what I was doing and it was just so freaking cute. Her and I ran around the backyard finding good patches of grass because, oddly enough, she didn’t want pictures by flowers. She showed off her cool dance moves and took her TT’s directions well when she felt like it. 😀

I couldn’t wait to share the pics that I took with my sister and brother-in-law and they were equally as surprised from Val’s apparent change of heart for getting her picture taken. Val makes me proud all of the time but this moment is definitely in my top five. Maybe we have a future blogger in the family?!

Do you like having your picture taken? Or do you prefer to be the one taking the pictures? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD

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A Stroll In The Garden OOTD

Hello everyone!! After a most fruitful TJMaxx haul, I was so ready to take all of the pictures with my new duds. I also had the perfect setting in mind – my dad’s garden! Come summer, it is absolutely glorious and filled with delicious veggies and stunning blooms. There is nothing better than taking a leisurely stroll and taking in all of the beauty or running around with my niece on the lush lawn…. And taking pictures, of course! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

This is an OOTD that I love very much and I think it is just so fun and unique. I have nothing like the Rebellion Again top or Nicole Miller pants in my vast wardrobe, which made it an exciting look to wear since it’s far from the norm. I felt so lucky during my haul because there was only one pair of the pants in the store and doubly lucky because I found the perfect top to go with it!

What I like about this outfit is that the styling spoke for itself. It was also planned well ahead of time in the TJMaxx dressing room so not a lot of thought went into it the day I took pictures. Each piece felt like an accessory in its own way – the embroidered heels of the platforms, bold floral pattern on the pants, and intricate crochet work on the top. So, it really didn’t need much in terms of actual jewelry and I kept it simple with a few of my favorite bangle bracelets.

Normally, I like to start from the top down when building an outfit. In this case, however, I started from the middle with the pants. While I could have pulled from a color in the floral pattern for the top, I decided that I wanted to go with a neutral to really make it pop. The cream Rebellion Again tank was the ideal choice and it was exactly what I had pictured. I thought it looked fabulous against the grey/blue base of the pants and the floral crochet pattern complimented them so well too.

For shoes, my Bamboo platforms were an obvious choice. The denim color is a neutral too and it meshed seamlessly with the blue undertones in the base of the pants. The floral embroidery on the heel also tied together with the same motif in the other pieces of this outfit. Not to mention that it has cream, pale blue, and yellow flowers featured on the heel so it matched even better than I originally thought.

My Stroll In The Garden OOTD is going to be such a delightful look for a date day exploring downtown Cuyahoga Falls or a botanical garden. Now, the trick is going to be to find more tops to go with the pants lol. I guess I’ll need another shopping trip soon! 😀

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

PS: Tune in tomorrow for bonus pictures from this shoot!

 

TJMaxx Haul: Skin Care Edition

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TJMaxx Haul: Skin Care Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to the last of my TJMaxx Haul! Today, we are going to be discussing some brand new skin care and then it’s onto bigger and better things. Keep it posted for a new OOTD and a few watercolor paintings by yours truly. They aren’t museum worthy but I’m pretty proud of them! Now, let’s get to it:

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The main reason for this haul in the first place was to get some skin care with my birthday gift card from my sister. Cut to two hours later and I had a cart full of goodies! As the old saying goes, you don’t go to TJMaxx for what you need… It tells you what you need lol at least that’s what I say, anyways. 😀

Although I was looking for some eye cream and cleansers, I was happy to walk away with a new serum (which I can always use) and two micellar waters by Evoluderm. I have been obsessed with this product since I tried it out over three years ago and just have to grab a bottle or two whenever its available at TJs. It is, hands down, the best micellar water I have ever used and makes everything else pale in comparison.

I am a faithful user of micellar water both morning and night and love the way the Evoluderm makes my skin feel. While the Garnier micellar water is great at removing makeup, it never made my skin feel nourished. The Evoluderm is the polar opposite and not only leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean but hydrated and well protected. I can’t recommend it enough if you are on the hunt for a micellar water or if the Garnier brand just isn’t cutting it anymore!

There you have it, a fabulous haul for the ages at TJMaxx in its completion. Is it bad that I’m already daydreaming about a fall haul?!

What is your favorite skin care brand? Where do you like to shop skin care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah