Tag Archives: shopping

Jun27

New Max Studio Maxi Dress

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New Max Studio Maxi Dress

Howdy!! The final item from my TJMaxx summer wardrobe refresh haul is truly the piece de resistance. Other than a couple of new tops, I was really hoping to find a sun dress or two. What I ended up with, however, was a maxi dress that caught the corner of my eye. I walked past it while I was heading to the dressing rooms, did a double take, tossed it into the cart, and knew it was a winner as soon as it was on. This Max Studio maxi dress is serving all of the Midwest Princess vibes and I am a thousand percent there for it! Check it out:

^^^ Peep that original price tag! Talk about a STEAL!!! 😀

During a recent trip to Bath & Body Works, I noticed a new scent called Heirloom Tomato or something or other. It smelled like ass, but the packaging was so pretty. It featured deep reds and greens for the fruit/vegetable and was the first thing I thought of when I saw this dress. The color palette is almost identical! When I put it in the cart, I honestly didn’t think it was going to work out. As a petite gal, maxi dresses can be hit or miss for me. If they are not the perfect length and fit, I will drown in fabric. The maxi dress has to be “just right” and they have been few and far between in my extensive shopaholic tenure. My rule of thumb when shopping has always been to try clothes on anyways. Regardless of fit, style, or assumptions, if I like what I see, I am going to try it on. I am so glad for that because this dress would have been bypassed and I never would have found my new favorite thing!

From top to the flowy tiered bottom, this maxi dress is dynamite and I was so delighted when I fell in love with it in the fitting room. Not only was the length of this dress questionable to me, but the pattern was as well. As a heavily tattooed chick, loud patterns can look cluttered over all of my artwork. The full coverage on the legs and torso that this dress offered put a limit on my own color palette and allowed for the pattern to fully do the talking rather than work against the tattoos. I felt like a country music star in it and couldn’t help but do a twirl in the fitting room! I cannot wait to pair it with a deep blue denim jacket and a pair of heeled cowboy-esque boots. This dress is so different than anything I own and I know I am going to have a total blast styling it!

There’s a new country cutie in town and her name is Lil Red! You already know an OOTD with this Max Studio masterpiece is coming so keep your eyes peeled! ❤

Do you update your wardrobe with the change of the seasons? What are your summer wardrobe staples? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun26

New Bozzolo Crop Top

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New Bozzolo Crop Top

Howdy!! As you all know, I am not a summer girl whatsoever. I do not handle the heat well, I detest dressing for summer, and it is an all around miserable time for your favorite vampire. Although I am not happy in the slightest about the hot weather, I am extremely happy about the new clothes I got during my last TJMaxx adventure. That is always going to be a surefire way to perk me up! Cool and cute clothes were the name of the game and this eight dollar crop by Bozzolo certainly checks those boxes. Check it out:

Black will forever be my favorite color and a majority of the clothes in my wardrobe feature it. In stark contrast, I also adore white clothing – especially cream hues. These shades make my tattoos pop and I love being able to enhance my artwork accessories. I already have several cream crochet style crops in my closet so, unsurprisingly, this little number by Bozzolo caught my eye. It was an instance where I knew immediately that it would work, the price was nice at under ten bucks, and into the cart it went.

As expected, this cute crop was perfect when I tried it on. The material was soft and light, the thick straps were ideal for covering bra straps, and it looked like it was made to wear with the high waisted shorts I had on. Although this top is fairly simple, it has more to it than my typical tank tops and is a great option to just throw on and go about the day. It also provides the opportunity to dress up or down. It was already fabulous with shorts but would be oh so sweet with a flowing maxi skirt. This is definitely going to be one of my summer go tos and I won’t be giving it up as we transition to fall. It will be totes adorbs under a chunky cardigan too!

There is nothing better than finding clothes that are just right and this top was exactly what I needed for my summer wardrobe. It also might make a cameo in a concert OOTD soon so stay tuned!

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

Jun25

New Caroline Constas Flower Power Top

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New Caroline Constas Flower Power Top

Hello! My mom and I have had TJMaxx gift cards burning a hole in our pockets and decided to have an impromptu shopping trip during my break this past Tuesday. It was just the little pick me up I needed and we had so much fun. I absolutely love going shopping with my mom, I always have and I always will and she is my partner in crime. Normally, I like to stock up on skin care when I have gift cards to spend. This time, however, I was on the hunt for new summer clothes. As a gal who loves dressing for the fall, my warm weather clothes are lacking and I have recently been lamenting over having “nothing” to wear. Happily, I found three amazing new pieces to update my summer wardrobe and I can’t wait to show all of you! Let’s get started with this gorgeous top by Caroline Constas:

When I am at TJMaxx, I browse in the junior and women’s department alike and tend to have good luck across the board. Other than a super cute crop that you will see soon, the junior’s department was doing nothing for me during this trip. Everything was so small, so short, plain ugly, or featured a tie in the front of the tops which I freaking hate lol. The women’s department was much more like it and I literally GASPED when I saw the flower power top by Caroline Constas. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful top at Urban Outfitters that I was obsessed with. It was very expensive and it didn’t come home with me. I honestly couldn’t even tell you what it looked like now, but for some reason the idea of it came to my head when I saw my new top. It was like getting a second chance at the one that got away and I was not letting it slip through my fingers again.

This cropped number is everything and it is so unique and adorable. The poppy embroidered flowers and red border over a stark white base remind me of an artist’s smock in the best way possible. And, of course, I loves me anything with balloon sleeves! This top screams fun in the sun and I cannot wait to pair it with sweet denim shorts and wedge sandals. It was a bit more expensive than I usually will spend for a top at thirty-five dollars, but it was worth every penny. There was no original price tag to compare to so I looked it up online and saw it for sale on Poshmark for one hundred and twenty-five smackers. Whatever it originally costed, I got it for a fraction of the price and you can’t beat that!

I have a feeling I will be wearing this top all summer long and it is officially one of my new favorites. Stay tuned for a brand new OOTD soon!

What is your favorite designer brand? Which stores or websites can you get the best bargains on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun24

New Manna Tumbler

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New Manna Tumbler

Howdy!! Once upon a time, I had a Stanley mug that my niece used for strawberry milk during one of our slumber parties. Johnny never washed said mug, it became riddled with mold, he threw it out, and that was the end of my Stanley experience. Since then, I have used many a different random tumblers I have to sip on water throughout the day and began using a Halloween mug exclusively. Whether at home or out and about, I had my mug in hand… Until I dropped it and it broke lol. I had been using the broken mug despite its cap no longer screwing on and it has been pretty annoying. Thankfully, I had a surprise TJMaxx shopping trip this past week and was able to replace my broken tumbler with this pretty little number:

On Tuesday, my mom and I decided to go on an impromptu TJs adventure during my break to spend some gift cards. Unfortunately, my sweet mom struck out but, as per ushe, I ended up with a haul. Lol, no surprise there! As we made our way throughout the store, we ended up in the home goods department and I thought that now would be a perfect time to snag a new tumbler. There were so many options to choose from and they even had Stanley mugs there. Of course, they were significantly more expensive than the other tumblers on the shelf and I wanted something on the cheaper end as my shopping cart was bursting at the seams!

A couple of tumblers caught my eye, but my new pastel pink and blue mug by Manna was the winner. It was huge, on clearance for twelve bucks, looked similar to a Stanley, and was just so cute! I love the colors and those little flowers at the bottom added a unique and adorable pop. As darling as the appearance of this mug is, the size was also a deciding factor. In the case of travel mugs, bigger is always better and I feel like I was refilling my old one constantly. This mug will also keep my water ice cold and that is exactly what I need. The temperatures here have skyrocketed into the nineties and your girl is dying lol. -_- This will definitely help keep me cool and hydrated this summer!

My fallen Stanley and broken Halloween mug have finally been replaced and it couldn’t have happened a moment too soon. Stay tuned for more from my haul and a surprise gift for the bunnies!

Do you have a favorite tumbler? What is your favorite thing to drink throughout the day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun23

B-Day OOTD

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B-Day OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred!! And, as always, check out the videos from this look on my TikTok! 🙂 For mine and Johnny’s birthaversary gift, we requested a big family lunch at Olive Garden this past weekend. We wanted to celebrate with my family all together, eat delicious food, and enjoy each other’s company. We did just that and it was the perfect gift! Of course, I had to show out for the b-day outing and put together this fun little fit:

Who? What? Wear?

Crochet Crop Top: Rebellion Again, TJMaxx

Tennis Skirt: Kyodan, TJMaxx

Wedges: Charles By Charles David, TJMaxx

The earrings are by Sincerely Jules and were a birthday gift from my niece! ❤

It has been hot, hot, hot here in good ol’ Akron, Ohio and keeping it cool, cute, and comfy has been the name of the game. To achieve that, I began styling this outfit by browsing in the skirt department of my wardrobe. Skirts are great because they’re basically shorts but dressier and that is exactly what I needed to be cool and cute for my birthday lunch! In some cases, however, skirts are both a skirt and a short like the adorable tennis skirt by Kyodan. This gauzy pleated skort is everything and is perfect for some fun in the sun. It is so light, the shorts provide coverage for any wardrobe malfunctions, and I love that you can see the shorts through the skirt’s fabric. We had a winner and the rest of the outfit built itself from there.

For my top, I decided to go with a darling little crochet number by Rebellion Again. I am a huge fan of pairing black with white or a close enough shade of white and this top was ideal for adding contrasting colorblocks. Not only did this top provide a color palette that pleases me but its crop was just right in length. It hit right at the waistline of the skirt so only a minimal peek a boo of tummy was visible. For my own personal rule of thumb, I usually don’t like pairing two revealing items together and this top allowed my legs to still be the main attraction.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. I went with one of my go to pairs of summer wedges by Charles By Charles David. These wedges are such a classic summer staple and their black and woven palette tied the look together from head to toe. Jewelry was a no brainer because I knew exactly what earrings I was going to wear: The gorgeous pair by Sincerely Jules that my niece gifted me. She was just as proud to see me in them at lunch as I was to wear them! ❤

I had the best birthday celebration and felt like a star rolling into the Olive Garden in my B-Day OOTD!

How do you like to celebrate your birthday? What is one of your summer wardrobe staples? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun11

Birthday Partay OOTD Bloopers

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Birthday Partay OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Birthday Partay OOTD! Johnny and I had a banner birthaversary week and the good times are going to keep rolling. We recently went to see AC/DC in Cleveland which was phenomenal and we have another concert on the horizon in the next few weeks: Outlaw Fest where Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan will be headlining! We had so many amazing concerts lined up during the pandemic that we had to forego and we are certainly making up for it this summer. Let’s take a look at some yikes shots and discuss a lil funny from my last nail appointment:

Oh mylanta am I looking GOOD

What invoked this reaction is unknown but I sure look thrilled

Always ready for my closeup

A sultry gaze just for you

I swear to high I’m not god

How to pose 101

Don’t mind me getting electrocuted

In my head, all of the adults who I interact with are my age. However, there are instances when it becomes glaringly obvious that that is, in fact, not accurate lol. Take my nail techs, for example. Both of my go to girls are at least five or six years younger than me and you could have knocked me over with a feather when I made that revelation. As per ushe, I forgot immediately until my last appointment when we were discussing summer concerts. I was telling my gals about mine and Johnny’s lineup and mentioned that we were seeing Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan in a few weeks. I kid you not both of them replied “who?” at the exact same time and my worldview was shattered.

As a forever young thirty-one year old, I kind of assumed that everyone knew of Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. A movie about the latter just came out this past year! I rarely feel old but, in that moment, I felt ancient! Honestly, this concert is more for Johnny. I love me some Willie but do not get down with Bob Dylan in the slightest. So, I just tried to explain them the best as I could to my techs. My response was “Willie Nelson is a super old country artist and Bob Dylan is just folksy BS” lol. Despite my excellent description, it still didn’t ring any bells!

It was seriously the cutest thing and humored me so much because I find myself asking the same questions when they tell me about the musicians they love or concerts they are going to. Hey, we all learn something new every appointment! It’s never not going to be fun or funny to try and describe artists to each other that we have no idea about. I get to teach them about what’s old and they get to teach me about what’s hip (Omg do I sound old lol). It’s a beautiful win/win scenario and I can’t wait to fill them in on my old timers concert at my next appointment! ❤

This new generation is A-okay in my book and no matter what your age is, you can always ALWAYS learn something new!

What is your summer concert lineup? Who is a beloved artist that you can’t stand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun10

Birthday Partay OOTD

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Birthday Partay OOTD

Hello!! June first was my sweet Johnny’s birthday and we had a little get together at chez nous to celebrate. It was nothing major, just a few friends but it was oh so much fun! It was also delightful to have one of our dear friends who officiated our wedding and his fiance join us. For such a monumental occasion, we just had to show out in our birthday best to get our partay on. Who am I kidding, for every occasion, we always show out! Take a look and let’s discuss:

Who? What? Wear?

Lipstick Kiss Cami: A New Day, Target

Coated Skinny Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Speech Bubble Heels: LFL, TJMaxx

Bracelet: Allsaints, TJMaxx

I think the earrings are from Target!!

It has been getting hot, hot, hot in good ol’ Akron, Ohio and TMI but I had finally shaved my armpits lol. So, I started building this outfit by browsing in the cami department. Hey, I just had to show off those silky smooth pits! My eyes landed on the adorable lipstick kiss cami that I purchased at Target for mine and Johnny’s Valentine’s Day date this year. While this pattern might be traditional for V-Day, that doesn’t mean it can’t be worn literally whenever I want and I love this top. It fits like a glove, has a gorgeous sheen, and is sexy without me feeling like it’s too much. With this little number as the focal point, the rest of the outfit built itself from there.

For jeans, I decided to go for a fantastic pair of coated skinnies by Seven Jeans. These pantaloons are my pride and joy and feature the slightest snakeskin pattern. However, it is so minimal that it can be worn with another pattern no harm no foul. Of course, I chose these jeans because they are the freaking coolest, but it was primarily for the sheen from the coating. Because the cami had a similar motif, they worked in tandem rather than clashed against each other. Remember, you can always pair two shiny pieces together and they are going to work especially well if the base color is the same!

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. For a pop of pure fun, I went with my word bubble heels by LFL with the bold statement of “Who Cares!”. And, the answer is: I most certainly don’t! These provided a sassy pop of red toenail polish to tie the look together from head to toe. I had plenty of open real estate for jewelry but I didn’t want to overdo it as I was already working with sheen on sheen on sheen. I put on one of my favorite bracelets by Allsaints as well as a pair of dangly black teardrop gem earrings. With that, I was ready to get my partay on with all of my favorite people!

Johnny and I were looking our best and had the best time for his birthday. If you’re going to celebrate, you have to do it in style! ❤

What have you celebrated recently? Have you done any summer clothes shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May30

Cute & Comfy OOTD Bloopers

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Cute & Comfy OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Cute & Comfy OOTD. This was a simple little look that I put together to host a dinner party at chez moi this past weekend. And, based on the outfit, you can see that it was anything but a fancy get together lol. However, after saying that, I do think it would be hilarious to host a fancy dress dinner party in our two bedroom apartment. Ball gowns and Taco Bell, perhaps? It’s a work in progress! While I workshop this idea, took a look at some of these yikes shots:

Party people in TimberTop say heyyyyyyyy

I have no idea what Johnny just said but it was clearly a cause for concern

Me pretending to be relaxed and casual

Can’t see the haters if your hand is in front of your face

Creeping up to cause some mischief

I’M SEXYYYYYYYY

I have no idea what Johnny just said but clearly it was hilarious lol

One of my biggest guilty pleasures has got to be reality TV and I am especially partial to the Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives and Farmer Wants A Wife lol. Are these shows pure crap? Yes. Are they entertaining as all get out? Absolutely! Johnny and I started watching Farmer Wants A Wife as a joke and it turns out the joke was on us because we got incredibly into it. We devoured the first season, waited on pins and needles for season two, devoured that, and just completed season three this weekend. What can I say, we just can’t get enough of these farmers who want wives!

Normally, Johnny and I wait for entire seasons to air on TV before watching them at our leisure on streaming services. With season three of Farmer Wants A Wife, we were watching it on regularly scheduled time and it was honestly kind of fun. Don’t get me wrong, I love to binge watch with the best of them. However, Farmer Fridays became something we would look forward to and we would settle into watch it as soon as the work week was over. I love that Johnny and I watch Farmer Wants A Wife together because it’s funny to us and I am mourning the end of this last season. I literally cannot wait for new seasons of both of my favorite reality TV guilty pleasures and more Farmer Fridays with my main squeeze. 😀

Reality TV is such a laugh lol, it’s exactly what I need when I want something mindless and fun and don’t even get me started on ALL the drama!

What is your favorite reality show? What is your guilty pleasure show? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May29

Cute & Comfy OOTD

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Cute & Comfy OOTD

Hello! This past Saturday, my bestie and her beau came over for a dinner party and a wonderful time was had by all. I made my world famous Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo taste alike and we ate like kings! As I was going to be cooking and hosting, I didn’t want a fussy OOTD that I was going to worry about getting dirty. So, I went the Cute & Comfy route so I could run around making preparations while still looking (And cooking!) my best. Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Color Block Hoodie: Mossimo, Target

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Platform Boots: Free People, TJMaxx

Cigarette Earrings: Punk N Junk

The weather in good ol’ Akron, Ohio has been anything but good and it’s getting old lol. It has been rainy and cold and I have been basically living in hoodies to combat the chill and keep my hair dry. The cropped hoodie from Target I picked definitely wouldn’t have kept me toasty outdoors but it was just what I needed to be cooking in a hot kitchen. The material is nice and light, it provides some ventilation in the tummy (lol), and it’s just so darn cute! I absolutely adore the color block palette and it turned a basic staple into something with a bit more pizazz.

Black skinnies were the obvious move, so it was onto shoes and accessories next. Typically, I wear this hoodie with a funky, huge gold necklace that belonged to my grandma. However, I didn’t want the weight of it on me while I cooked so I opted for some funky earrings instead – long, dangly cigarettes! I got these from a local vendor when Johnny and I went to a Punk Rock Flea Market and I think they are the bees knees lol. They also always get a compliment whenever I wear them because they are so unique! For shoes, I picked a pair of platform boots by Free People that I just love, particularly because it reminds me of tying ice skates when I put them on. With that, I was ready to be the hostess with the mostest for out big evening in!

Cute & Comfy was the name of the game and this OOTD had it in spades. I can’t wait to have another dinner party soon!

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

May23

Black & White OOTD Bloopers

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Black & White OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Black & White OOTD! And as a friendly reminder, you can view even more from this look on my TikTok @lilred6794 !! Hey, you just gotta work in a shameless plug sometimes. 😀 Today we are going to take a look at some of the yikes shots that most definitely didn’t make the first cut. While I had a plethora of winning photos to pick from from this shoot, the bloopers were aplenty as well. Allow me to dazzle you lol:

With the shape of an L on her forehead…

A brief moment to take stock of my life

Dripping SASS

I’M SEXY!!!!!!

No idea where this funky lighting came from!

My best “come hither” stare

Lmaoo ta daaaaa!

Getting my Mick Jagger on

This Black & White OOTD was worn to play mini golf at Fun n’ Stuff and their two courses are awesome. One is pirate themed and the other is dinosaurs and they are the perfect amount of fun and challenging. I absolutely love mini golfing but it is safe to say that I am… not the best. The same thing happens Every. Single. Time. we have a mini golf outing: I start out STRONG. Like shockingly good – we’re talking twos and threes across the board. And I’ll tell you what, I am feeling good and no one can tell me NOTHING.

Then, somewhere along the way, my downfall happens and it is swift…

I don’t know what it is lol – maybe it’s me getting too cocky or maybe it’s just beginner’s luck but about halfway through, it’s like I forgot where I even am! Twos and threes turn into can’t making a putt to save my own life and before I know it, I’m racking up sixes on every hole. Going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows makes the whole process even more frustrating and there is just no coming back from that. I am pleased to report, however, that I didn’t come in dead last during this outing with Johnny, our bestie Cliff, and my brother but THIRD! I genuinely couldn’t believe it once the two courses were tallied up so, despite the mini golf skills all but disappearing, who’s the real winner here?! 😀

Part crazy annoying but always fun – who doesn’t love mini golf? I can’t wait to hit the greens again to defend my third place title!

Are there any mini golf courses in your neck of the woods? What are they like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah