Tag Archives: shopping

Sep7

Autumn Awesome OOTD

Posted on September 7, 2022 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! As far as I’m concerned, it becomes fall as soon as it turns September and it is my favorite time of the year. Crisp weather, all of the autumn activities, Halloween, and, of course, the clothes! Nothing pleases me more than the arrival of cozy sweaters, cardigans, and coats in stores and I have a recent haul from TJMaxx to show for it. This Autumn Awesome OOTD features one of my new purchases:

^^^ The mural was painted by Lizzi Aronhalt.

Who? What? Wear?

Sweater: Rachel Zoe, TJMaxx
Distressed Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters
Hat: Peter Grimm, TJMaxx
Heeled Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx
The rings are from Target

When trying on my new Rachel Zoe sweater at TJMaxx, my mind was swarming with OOTD possibilities and this look is the first one that flashed before my eyes. It just feels like the perfect fall outfit and I love it oh so much. I can definitely picture myself at the pumpkin patch, apple picking, or on a hay ride while wearing this OOTD and that means I accomplished my goal of an ideal fall fit!

It’s easy when we think of fall to associate it with deep burgundy and jewel tone colors and that’s fine. However, I think people often forget about the softer tones that look stunning come autumn too. The dove grey, camel, and periwinkle palette of my sweater is a unique take on fall colors and I like that it’s not your typical oxblood or plum.

When I first purchased my sweater, I thought that the diamond patterned stitching throughout it was black. It’s actually a chocolate brown, which would make it so cute with some brown velvet skinny jeans. But, I didn’t have any so I just went with my favorite AEO black skinnies. You would really have to look closely to notice the small color difference so it was good enough for me.

With the base of the outfit settled, it was time for accessories and I knew exactly what I needed thanks to my fitting room vision. There is nothing better than a cool pair of boots in the fall and I chose my Olivia Millers with the chunky chain embellishment. I love clothes and accessories with a little extra something to it and these boots added some flare to a relatively simple outfit. They were also a steal at only twenty dollars and you can’t beat that!

Of course, no fall outfit is complete without a cute hat and my camel one by Peter Grimm was the winner. It matched perfectly with the sweater and I am obsessed with the toggle strap, allowing you to wear the hat on your head or on your back when you tighten it (You can see pics featuring the latter option tomorrow!). Hats are, easily, one of my favorite accessories and are also the easiest fix when you need your hair done – which I do desperately lol.

I wrapped up my accessorizing with some rings from Target to add some extra bling. They are, honestly, old as dirt but I still love them! I didn’t want to add a necklace as the hat strap acted as a pseudo one. I also didn’t want anything to take away from the pattern on the sweater. Always remember that less is more when it comes to finishing touches on an outfit!

With an Autumn Awesome OOTD ready to go, Johnny and I headed to a nearby metro park to snap some shots. It was a beautiful location and you can see more of it all of this week in some bonus pics and bloopers. I also just want to say that I changed into a shorts and T-shirt immediately after taking these pictures because it was hot AF out lol. Mentally, I was feeling very fall, though! 😀

What is your favorite cold weather accessory? What is fall weather like in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep4

New Rachel Zoe Sweater

Posted on September 4, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello and welcome to the last new purchase from my TJMaxx Haul! When I go shopping, I usually know instantly if a piece of clothing is going to work for me just by looking at it. I am a seasoned pro, after all, and I am well versed in the styles, shapes, and colors that work best for my body type, hair color, and complexion. This little number by Rachel Zoe is a prime example of that and I fell in love as soon as I saw it:

Similarly to my new DKNY sweater that you saw yesterday, I gasped when I saw this Rachel Zoe sweater. The shape is almost identical to my favorite chartreuse sweater by Cynthia Rowley and I haven’t found anything like it since buying it three years ago. I am living for the mock turtle neck, form fitting but not too tight fit, and diamond block pattern. The ultra soft material and all of the fun styling potentials are the cherry on top!

Thanks to my sixth sense when it comes to clothing, all I had to do was slip this sweater on and off for a second or two to know that it was a must have. And, within that time, visions of fabulous fall OOTDs began to swirl inside my head. I can’t wait to sport my new sweater with skinny jeans, brown ankle boots, and my Peter Grimm hat. It will be the perfect look for a leisurely autumn hike. I also love the idea of pairing it over top of a maxi dress or skirt for something more dressed up. This sweater screams “fall” and I am so there for it. 😀

Autumn is amazing for many reasons – cooler weather, leaves changing colors, Halloween and, oh yeah – the clothes. Keep it posted here on lifewithlilred for all of the fall OOTDs coming soon!

What is your fall style like? How would you style this sweater? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep3

New DKNY Sweater

Posted on September 3, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy! What was supposed to be some light shopping at TJMaxx turned into a full blown haul because fall clothes are back in stores, baby! While I had fun styling all kinds of summer looks, I am beyond ready for the crisp days of autumn. Oh yeah, and literally all of the sweaters, cardigans, coats, and cold weather accessories too. With the greatest season of all at the forefront of my mind, I just couldn’t say no to this darling DKNY sweater:

^^^ Originally seventy dollars and I got it for thirty. NICE!

When I first saw this sweater, I literally clutched my pearls because it features what is, apparently, my new favorite trend: Sheer sleeves. This little DKNY number reminded me of my new Zara top that I got last haul and I knew that it would be a winner. As a heavily tattooed lady, it is always sad for all of them to get covered up come cold weather. Sheer sleeves allow for the tattoos on my arms to still be seen and I am so there for it. It’s seriously the perfect fix for the seasonal problem of forgetting what tattoos I even have until it gets warm out again lol.

Of course, my new sweater will look amazing with black super skinny jeans and ankle boots. Throwing on a huge floppy hat with it is also a definite must. I also have visions of pairing this sweater with a sweet skater skirt, cableknit tights, and a fun pair of heels. I think that it will be an awesome look for date night or family holiday gatherings.

I love refreshing my wardrobe with a few new pieces as the seasons change to keep things interesting. I consider this DKNY sweater and the Rachel Zoe one that you will see tomorrow as ideal additions to my fall clothes. I can’t wait to wear them!

What is your favorite season to shop for? What is your favorite thing about fall? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep2

TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

Posted on September 2, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Last week, I visited TJMaxx strictly to get some more skin care. I was successful in that regard and also wound up leaving with way more than just skin care lol. Funny how that works out! I ended up walking away with some Halloween goodies, Christmas presents for my niece, two adorable sweaters, and all of the following:

^^^ All of these products are Leaping Bunny certified!

It has been a while since I restocked my cleansers and eye cream so that was the mission I had in mind during my TJs trip. Every morning, I like to wash my face with both a scrub and a cleanser for a deep clean. I was almost completely out of both things and chose a Vitamin C cleanser by Clinical Works and a hyaluronic acid and sugar scrub by SpaScriptions. Each of these products feature two of my favorite ingredients for my skin care as a late twenty something and I can’t wait to try them out!

For my eye cream, I went with a manuka honey cream by Lanoline. And, of course, I had to grab another bottle of the Evoluderm micellar water, which I love. I have only used products with manuka honey in it a handful of times. However, it was a must have ingredient for skin care a year or so ago so I’m more than happy to give it a try in eye cream form. Fingers crossed that it smells as amazing as the Freeman face mask that introduced me to manuka honey. 😀

This Skin Care Haul turned into a major haul in general and it was just what I needed. There’s nothing like a little retail therapy to help soothe the soul!

What ingredients do you look for for your skin care? What are your favorite skin care brands? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug30

TJMaxx Mini Halloween Haul

Posted on August 30, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! In terms of shopping, I think that right now is the most wonderful time of the year. I love when fall clothing starts making a comeback and, of course, all of the Halloween goodies! This past week, I couldn’t help indulging in the former and the latter during some much needed retail therapy. I went to TJMaxx at just the right time when they started putting out their Halloween decor and walked away with the following:

Johnny and I keep our spooky decorations up all year round so I was excited to get some new additions for our little slice of Halloween heaven. I freaking LOVE the snow globe featuring a skull and striking snake. The best thing about it, of course, is the little bats floating around in lieu of glitter. It is just so cute and looks great on one of the shelves in our book nook. It was also the only one in the store. 😀

I also just had to get two new plates by Royal Stafford with his and hers skulls on it. When I saw these on display, I literally clutched my pearls because I have several plates from this brand already. I purchased them almost three years ago and have never seen anything like it at TJMaxx since so I felt lucky to find more to add to my collection. They are way too pretty to use for its intended purpose of eating off of but I like having them just to have them lol.

Halloween is in my home all of the time but is officially in the air in stores and I am so there for it. Johnny and I plan on having a Halloween shopping crawl soon for more decor and I can’t wait!

What is your favorite holiday to shop for? Which stores have the best holiday decor? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug29

Bath & Body Works Mini Haul

Posted on August 29, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past week, I had a bunch of errands to run and decided to partake in a little retail therapy. You can peep a new TJMaxx Haul soon but, today, we are going to chat about my finds at Bath & Body Works. I had two freebie coupons to cash in for a travel sized product and a hand sanitizer. I also decided that I should probably buy some more of their wallflower fragrances while I was there! Check it out:

Prior to my last haul at B&BW, I had never used their wallflowers before. However, I had a coupon for a free one and their Halloween plugins were too cute to pass up! Now that I have two in my apartment, one upstairs and one down, I can’t believe it took me this long to join the bandwagon. They are DELIGHTFUL! The wallflowers provide the perfect amount of fragrance without being overpowering. They are also super long lasting and after over twenty days of use I still have half a vial left.

Aside from freebie coupons, I also had a twenty-five percent off one so I bought two wallflowers with it. I went with Honeycrisp Apple and Wildberry Tea Spritzer. As you all know, I live for apple fragrances and the one I selected is so fabulous for fall. It smells like a just bitten apple and I can’t wait to use it. The Tea Spritzer fragrance is nice but it is not my favorite – I just happened to like it the most out of the available options. It actually smells exactly like the summery beverage I imagined but it is just a little too sweet for my liking. We will see what it’s like when I try it!

I am a huge fan of the B&BW hand sanitizers and was excited to be able to pick out a free one. Their PocketBacs leave my hands feeling so clean without drying them out and have become a must have when I’m on the go. I decided to keep with the squeaky clean vibes and chose Sunshine & Lemons. It’s zingy, tart, and will be a nice reminder of summer come fall.

For my free travel sized item, I got the old standby scent of Japanese Cherry Blossom. Not because I wanted to but because I was running low on lotion in my stockpile and it was the literal only option there lol (I was shopping at a pop up store because they are adding a White Barn to a nearby location). We all know the scent, we loved it in high school, and that’s all I have to say about that. But, hey, a free lotion is a free lotion!

For twelve bucks, I got four products and you just can’t beat that. I also contained myself and didn’t buy anymore Halloween goodies so it was a GREAT SUCCESS of a Mini Haul!

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? What was your favorite fragrance in high school? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug27

Date Night OOTD

Posted on August 27, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past Friday, Johnny and I had a date night at Buca Di Beppo and it was an absolute delight. I have never been there before and Johnny promised me a bowl of fettuccine Alfredo as big as my head and I received nothing less. Despite the food coma afterwards, it was a fabulous night and I just had to show out in my dinner date best:

^^^ Lol, I really like that last picture for some reason!

Who? What? Wear?

Floral dress: Zara, TJMaxx
Platform loafers: ModCloth
Hoop embellished bag: Sanctuary, TJMaxx
Pendant necklace: This was my grandma’s

I purchased my Zara dress during the last TJMaxx Haul that I had and I have been dying to break it out. Date night is the perfect occasion to wear a pretty little something and I loved how I felt in it. This dress was form fitting without being clingy and also hit slightly above knee length, which eliminated any awkward adjusting throughout the date. We all have that one dress that we adore but is just a hair too short or tight!

Because the pattern of the dress was so bold, it really didn’t need much styling magic so I chose simple things to enhance it. The first order of business was shoes and it took me a minute before settling on my platform loafers. They are actually falling apart but I refuse to part with them!

Regardless of their current state, the loafers were the best option to go with because of the length and style of the dress. The long sleeves and almost knee length cut left a lot of me covered up so it was important to give my legs all of the extension that I could. I did try a few pairs of platforms with ankle straps but, despite the additional height, the strap still broke apart the leg line and made me look short. The platform loafers solved that problem and gave a lovely silhouette without any interruptions.

For accessories, I knew exactly which necklace I wanted to use and went with my grandma’s chunky gold pendant necklace. It hits at just the right length to tuck under the collar of a dress or top and still leave the pendant showing. I love green and gold together and it also complimented the gold hoop embellishments on my purse perfectly!

With all of the current craziness in my life, a date night with my Johnny was just what I needed for a pick me up. We ate like kings and we looked like royalty!

Where is your favorite date night spot? What do you like to wear for nights out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug23

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bloopers

Posted on August 23, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from part two of my Stroll In The Garden OOTD series! When Johnny and I take blog pictures together, it takes roughly ten minutes. In that time, he literally does not stop taking pictures and that’s a good thing! This gives me a considerable amount of great, good, and yikes shots to sort through. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a bit time consuming but us bloggers do anything in the name of content! Here are the shots that definitely didn’t make the original cut – Until now, that is:

I LOOK GREAT!! 😀

Sassy ladyyyy

About to drop some mad truth on Johnny

Having a full blown discussion with my imaginary friend

I actually kind of like this one lol

Would you look at that?!

It looks like something really pissed me off!

Johnny is always making me laugh!

Johnny has been assisting me with my OOTD shoots for well over a year and the process truly runs like a fine tuned machine now. Prior to developing his own method of rapid fire shooting, taking pictures used to take way longer. He used to take a few shots, show me, then try again. Now, it’s more like he takes fifty shots in a row, I take a quick look, and we move onto the next thing.

I am a huge fan of this method for many reasons. The most important one being that I usually don’t get hit with the “are we done yet?” until we’re about to wrap up lol! And, of course, it gives me a plethora of options to use that just weren’t possible before Johnny’s PPM (Pictures per minute) wasn’t twenty or so. He finally understands what I mean when I say “take a lot of pictures” and I am so appreciative and thankful for it!

The rapid fire method is obviously liable to lots of bloopers but it sure is fun to share them with all of you. Keep it posted for a Date Night OOTD soon!

How many pictures do you take during a typical OOTD shoot? Where is your favorite place to take pictures? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug22

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bonus Pics

Posted on August 22, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bonus Pics

Hey! Today, we are going to check out some bonus pics from Part Two of my Stroll In The Garden OOTD. Johnny took these pictures and prior to being with him, I always got a kick out of the “husbands of Instagram” posts. I thought they were so funny and sweet and I admired the significant other for assisting in all of the pictures. They seemed like the partner to have and I feel like the luckiest girl to have me a blog husband of my own!

Not only is Johnny the best in every aspect of my life but he turned out to be a formidable iPhone photographer as well. His method of “just take a million pictures” works perfectly every time and I am so appreciative whenever he helps me out for my OOTD shoots. Take a look at his handiwork:

Taking pictures used to be something I was really self conscious about due to constant battles with low self esteem. To this day, I still don’t let just anyone take my pictures and have a handful of people that I like to work with. In fact, the first time Johnny took some OOTD shots, I was SO nervous! That feeling quickly dissipated, however, because he treats every photo shoot like an America’s Next Top Model moment… Even the bloopers!

Johnny’s comments of “you’re working it”, “you look great”, and “are we done yet?” make all of our photo sessions a joy. He truly makes sure that every picture he snaps is shot just the way I like it and has also gotten so good at not cutting my head or feet out! My blog is something that I take a lot of pride in and being able to collaborate with my husband for OOTDs is really special to me.

A HUGE shout out to my sweet blog husband for indulging me in my OOTD shoots. He is the behind the scenes hero of almost all of them and my love and self confidence soars with every picture taken. I LOVE YOU, BABE! ❤

Who is your favorite person to take pictures with? What or who makes you feel confident? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug20

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2

Posted on August 20, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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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:

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

Who? What? Wear?

Floral jean jacket: J.Jill – a hand me down from my mom!
White top: Love On A Hanger, TJMaxx
Patterned pants: Premise, TJMaxx
Wedge heels: Sbicca, ModCloth

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! ❤

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