Tag Archives: shopping

Oct7

Bath & Body Works October Freebies

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Bath & Body Works October Freebies

Hellooo everyone and TGIF! While I was in Asheville, North Carolina this week, I just had to take advantage of doing some shopping. I had three freebie coupons from Bath & Body Works burning a hole in my pocket and was eager to cash them in. I was also pretty happy to be able to walk into a new B&BW and not get judged too hard for just grabbing the free items and leaving! I’m pretty sure the B&BW that I frequent is super over me by now! I stocked up on three of their fall fragrances and now I’m here to rank them according to which ones I liked best. Take a look:

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  1. Champagne Apple & Honey: If you guys are familiar with my blog, it should come as no surprise that this scent was my favorite! As you know, I am obsessed with apple fragrances and this one is just divine! Bubbly and sweet champagne mixed with a tart, crisp apple and just the smallest splash of honey. This scent combines all of the bite of an apple plucked fresh from the orchard with the girly and fresh scent of sparkling champagne. Cheers!
  2. Golden Pear & Brown Sugar: This scent was nice! I was a bit worried that it would be too sweet of a scent which I don’t care for at all but I was pleasantly mistaken. The soft crunch of a juicy pear blended beautifully with the semi sweet scent of brown sugar. I liked how light this fragrance was because it’s easy for anything with “sugar” in the title to be too sweet to the point that it’s overpowering.
  3. Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte: Speaking of too sweet – this scent just didn’t do it for me. The marshmallow scent in this lotion is actually more like vanilla, which is something that I usually love. Unfortunately, the not so subtle sweetness of the vanilla created something that just smelled off when combined with the frothy pumpkin latte. Had this scent incorporated a bit more PSL style spiciness into it, I think it could have been salvaged but this one is definitely not for me!

Overall, I was really pleased with all of the fall Bath & Body Works fragrances. Despite not caring for the Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte scent, it will make a great add on gift for Christmas presents! And for those of you who live for the B&BW holiday scents, you better hit the mall pronto because they are already available in stores and online!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works October Freebies! Has anyone done some bath and body care shopping recently? What did you get? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct6

Setting Up Shop Online And Not Screwing It Up

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Setting Up Shop Online And Not Screwing It Up

Setting Up Shop Online And Not Screwing It Up:

Hi everyone, this time, we’re looking at something slightly different. Everyone who loves fashion and thinking about it has probably had the same idea at one point or another. How you would like to be in the business. Nowadays, what with the internet, it’s not that hard to set up a business of your own based on what you love. In particular, we’re looking at ecommerce. Here are just a few of the things I’ve learned from great (and not so great) fashion ecommerce sites:

Smarter Sites: Hyper smart site design isn’t something that a lot of people think about regularly – but it’s important. When you’re thinking about customers, you have to think about how well you’re retaining them. Even just a few ‘off’ features can put them off. So look at things like buying without the need to sign in. Consider how smart and well placed your search function is. Breadcrumb navigation is another smart choice, which makes sure the customer knows how far along they are in the purchase process. You might also want to look into setting up a store on an existing eCommerce platform with the help of something like this Amazon Marketplace Management Agency if this is an area you struggle with or are pressed for time. You want the shopping process to be easy for every single one of your customers and even one issue can be a major setback.

Bold Ads: Advertising across different social media platforms and websites can bring in tons of traffic if they’re done right. Dynamic Product Ads can make the difference between a few sales a day to several and provide you with repeat customers. Go bold with your ads and have fun with them. People want to see why your business is different than all the rest and this is your chance to showcase it.

Photography Rules: Photography and fashion go hand in hand. A high-quality picture is going to sell people much more than a low price tag or a few lines of hype. For your site, there are two kinds of photography you should consider. First, mannequin photography, so people can inspect the item from different sides and zoom in. Second, it’s a good idea to have a model and professional photographer show how it looks being worn. You can’t go amateur with this step. Unless you’re a practiced photographer, it will just end up looking off.

Don’t Be Hard To Buy From: A big part of running an online shop is how accessible it is. How many times have you been frustrated and given up on a site because it went all wonky on your mobile? How many times have you been turned away because a site can’t accept your method of payment? That site probably lost you as a customer. So if you’re starting one, avoid that mistake. Make the site responsive in its design. Then research options like the difference between payoneer and paypal, different payment processing solutions, and payment security so you’re able to take money in a whole range of ways.

Speaking of making payments, do you have a model for the prices of your products? Is it a one time purchase or a subscription based service? On the topic of subscriptions, have you considered your payment platform and how this works? Some work on a subscription basis so you pay a specific amount each month to handle all your sales. Others work on a flat markup model basis, a markup model is where your processor takes a small percentage of every sale, so this may be better when you’re getting started out. It does ultimately depend on what you’re dealing with however.

Don’t Be Broken: Don’t launch too early! Whenever you’re making changes to the site, test it and test it again. If you can, hire some QA guys to come browsing and have them try to actively break the site. Discover any broken links and functions and get them fixed before you’re online. You will also want to pay close attention to your IP reputation score as this can be a strong indicator of cyber crimes happening on your site. Your website should be tested as often as possible because once it is compromised it will be very hard to maintain any of your current customers. This is enough to sink your business before it has even got off the ground.

The reliability of the site isn’t the only thing you can test as well. A lot of businesses also test how good their sites are at making customers. Customer rate optimization is something a lot of businesses need to think about and many use A/B testing to do just that.

If you want a successful site, it’s all about the look and the feel of it. You need to make sure it’s accessible and looks amazing. After that, it’s all about finding the right product.

Does anyone own an online business? Feel free to post the links in the comment section below! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image Provided By: Pixabay

Sep21

If The Shoe Fits – Fall Haul Edition

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If The Shoe Fits – Fall Haul Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Hump Day! Today I am concluding my Fall Haul with a brand new If The Shoe Fits article. Amazing shoes are usually the last thing you put on while getting ready but some would argue that they are the most important. So however you see it, it only seems fitting that some fabulous new shoes are what brings the Fall Haul to a close. Take a look at my latest footwear finds from Target and TJMaxx and let’s discuss:

The Haul:

  • Faux Snakeskin Booties: Target, $25
  • Studded Mary Jane Heels: TJMaxx, White Mountain, $25

Target Booties: My mom can serve as witness to the fact that when I saw these beautiful faux snakeskin booties, I literally gasped. I am usually not fond of any type of animal print but I. Love. Snakeskin…Fake, of course. For my birthday, I got a gorgeous Nine West faux snakeskin tote and these booties match my favorite bag exactly. These boots are edgy, cool, perfect for fall, and I got them for a steal. What could be better?

I love snakeskin so much because it is such a fabulous neutral. These booties literally go with everything. A true testament to that is when I paired my boots with a burgundy and floral print dress to wear to school. Instead of looking like I got dressed in the dark that day, I had a look that truly popped thanks to my new boots. Thanks to the gorgeous tans, creams, and greys in the snakeskin pattern, the contrast of the white florals against a deep burgundy dress looked much more severe and eye catching. The look was tied together with my matching tote and I seriously never felt better.

I can’t wait to continue pairing these shoes with unexpected pieces like loud patterned dresses, skirts, and tops because I am so confident that all they will do is enhance the look rather than make the patterns clash. These boots are going to be perfect with everything from jeans to dresses to cute little shorts in the summer. I am so pleased with this purchase and you can follow the link above to get a pair for yourself! #Twinning

TJMaxx Heels: I’m very excited about these sweet little heels because there was a pair on ModCloth that looked identical to them but costed at least eighty dollars more! These shoes aren’t as bold as some of the pairs that I own but I think that’s why I like them so much. I like that they are kind of simple but have edginess in their own right via the studded decal that goes around the shoes.

Unfortunately, the studs brought me a lot of woe but in the end, these shoes were so worth it. The day after I brought my heels home, I noticed that the stud on the middle of the left shoe’s toe was missing. Was it a big deal? No. But it drove me freaking crazy! It isn’t like anyone would ever notice that one stud on the shoe was missing but the fact that I knew that it was there was almost too much for me to handle.

That evening, I went to another TJ’s to see if they had the shoes so I could exchange them and had no luck. Then, I searched my home all over to see if there was anything that I could put in its place and came up with nada. After a few more days of stewing, I finally had it! I would pull a stud off of a super old and grungy pair of combat boots that I never wear and replace the missing stud.

The stud was easy to pull off of the boots because they’re well over four years old but everything after that was a hot mess. It took a good half hour to find super glue that wasn’t dried up completely and once I found one, I could not get it open for the life of me. After minutes of straining, I finally had to walk with my tail between my legs to my dad who got it open on the first try. Awesome.

*Sigh* At least the glue was open! I began to super glue away and the first couple of times didn’t work at all. After about the fourth try, the stud was finally sticking well so I decided to put a few more layers of glue on to make sure that it would stay put for forever. Bad idea. After the additional gluing, my thumbs and index fingers on both hands were glued together completely. I had no idea what to do because this had never happened to me before so I just started trying to pull my fingers apart.

After a few minutes, the glue finally started to give way and I was able to get my fingers separated. But, my god, did it hurt! The one good thing that came out of this story is that my studless shoe finally had a replacement and I no longer had to go crazy thinking about it. However, I think the craziness that I endured to get said stud onto the shoe was worse than just letting the fact that my shoe was missing a stud go! That just shows the great lengths that I will go to for my shoe babies. But hey, if the shoe fits! 😉

So there you have it, my latest issue of If The Shoe Fits – Fall Haul Edition! What is the craziest thing that you’ve ever done for a piece of clothing? How far would you go to fix a pair of shoes that you deeply loved? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep19

TJMaxx Fall Haul

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TJMaxx Fall Haul

Hi everyone and happy Monday! As you read in my last article, Hats Off, I did some major fall shopping this past month. TJMaxx was oh so good to me and I ended up with a hat, shoes, sweater, jacket, and dress for under one hundred dollars!! I’m so obsessed with everything and I’m wearing my new dress as I type this, so let’s take a look at the latest additions to my fall wardrobe:

The Haul:

  • Patchwork Jean Jacket: Ci Sono, $20
  • Patchwork Sweater: Monteau, $16
  • Paisley Pattern Dress: Pink Rose, $13

In case you guys haven’t noticed, I. Love. Fall. Clothing. The styles, the colors, the potential to layer and mix and match – I love it all. So needless to say, when autumn comes around I shop like a mad woman! It’s no exaggeration when I say that at least seventy-five percent of my wardrobe is fall clothing and like a woman possessed, I have no problem adding to my vast collection.

During a shopping trip at TJ’s with my mom, I was simply swooning over the fun patchwork pieces that I got and the adorable patterned dress which will be perfect with tights and booties. I have seen patchwork all over the runways lately so when I had the opportunity to snag two sweet patchwork pieces for thirty-five dollars, I just had to indulge!

I look forward to pairing my cream colored sweater with everything this fall once the weather cools down. Jeans, maxi skirts, a-line skirts, over a dress – I CAN’T WAIT!! The weather has been perfect for my dress and jacket, though, and I’ve already had so much fun sporting both pieces on campus both together and separately. There is nothing better than finding clothes that make you feel confident, chic, and perfectly ready for fall. And at just the right price, how can you say no?

Make sure you keep it posted on lifewithlilred to see the conclusion of my fall haul with a brand new If The Shoe Fits article for my latest finds from TJMaxx and Target! There will also be a new Bath & Body Works Freebie article on the horizon to discuss my three September freebies. Stay tuned!

So there you have it, my TJMaxx Fall Haul! What is your favorite type of fall clothing to wear? What have you splurged on recently to welcome the fall weather into your wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep16

Hats Off

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Hats Off

Hi everyone and TGIF! The next few posts on lifewithlilred are going to be all about my fall fashion haul that took place last weekend. I thought we would start from the top by discussing two gorgeous new hats that I can’t wait to top off my looks with this fall! Take a look:

Hat Haul:

  • Black Calvin Klein bobby hat: TJMaxx, $16
  • Mustard Yellow turban: Forever 21, $7

TJMaxx: While shopping at TJMaxx with my mom to find some new fall staples, my eyes locked in on my gorgeous new CK hat and I knew that I had to have it. I have never owned anything Calvin Klein before and at sixteen dollars, I thought the hat was a steal. The fit of the hat screams London Chic and the chain accent on the front is a great edgy detail to complete the look. I am planning a European trip for the spring of 2017 and I can totally picture myself ambling about the streets of London in this darling bobby style hat.

Forever 21: One of my favorite things to do when I have some spare time during the day is online shopping! I love browsing the pages of my favorite stores and drawing inspiration for spicing up my wardrobe. On Forever 21’s website I saw quite a few turbans that I was obsessed with so on Monday, my boyfriend and I went to the mall to check them out. Even though he told me that shopping in F21 with me was what purgatory must be like, he did treat me to this pretty crocheted, mustard yellow turban! Mustard yellow is one of my favorite colors to wear and this turban looks perfect against my bright red hair and pale skin. Shout out to my boyfriend for braving Forever 21 with me for this fabulous new addition to my fall accessories! ❤

So there you have it, my latest fall accessories haul in Hats Off! What fall accessories are you most looking forward to wearing? Who else loves sporting hats of all shapes and sizes during the cool weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug27

One Love Yoga & Boutique Trip

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One Love Yoga & Boutique Trip

Hi everyone and happy weekend! This past week, my sister and I made a little trip to Kent which is a college town in Ohio. We live about twenty-five minutes or so away from there so it’s not really far but it’s far enough that we don’t get to frequent the stores in their downtown area as often as we would like. Kristen needed to get one of her piercings fixed at the shop that we both go to in the area and then we thought that we would do some shopping at one of our favorite stores, Figleaf.

Unfortunately, by the time that we were done with Kristen’s piercing, Figleaf was closed because they always lock up obnoxiously early which we forgot. But Kristen said that she noticed a cute looking store that we drove past right when we pulled into the downtown shopping area. We trekked back to the beginning of downtown Kent and wounded up at One Love Yoga & Boutique.

This store happens to be a clothing boutique on the bottom and a yoga studio on top. Kristen was also so right, the store was absolutely adorable. We spent at least an hour in the boutique trying on clothes, admiring the jewelry, and chatting with the extremely knowledgeable and friendly workers. Kristen ended up with a new crop top, some jewelry, and a dream catcher for her apartment. Yours truly ended up with a gorgeous new dress that will be perfect for fall, pictured below:

The front and back of my new Millibon brand dress is pictured although I am realizing now that both shots look exactly the same! Regardless of that, I love this dress so much! I normally don’t wear a lot of burgundies and reds because I feel like it looks obnoxious with my hair but this dress looked so sweet and pretty that I just had to get it. I love the white flowers against the burgundy color as well as the little flutter at the end of its fitted sleeves.

My new dress is in a pattern that Kristen and I both recognized from Francesca’s and the worker told me that they buy from the same vendor which I thought was so cool! All of the clothes that they had in the boutique were gorgeous and the prices were very reasonable, too. This was definitely a pleasant surprise because I thought that I was going to see one hundred dollar and above price tags on everything! I got my dress at thirty-two dollars which I thought was a steal.

I’m looking forward to welcoming fall weather with my new frock. I plan on wearing it with my knee high tan riding boots for a more casual look and my army green Guess wedges for a night out. This is also a perfect dress to wear tights under as the weather gets colder and it will look lovely when it peeks through my navy blue Modcloth peacoat. So much fun fashion so little time!

Also, if you check out One Love Yoga & Boutique’s Instagram, you might see a picture of me because the owner saw me in the dress when I showed it to my sister and thought it would look nice for their social media pages. I also highly recommend checking out their website which is so well put together and a like on their Facebook page would be nice, too!

So there you have it, my One Love Yoga & Boutique Trip! Kristen and I had a blast and I can’t wait to go there again soon! What is your favorite boutique style store to shop at? Who could see themselves taking yoga classes at One Love? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. –Sarah

PS: If you’re not on my Facebook page, here’s a new picture of me in my dress from my shopping trip at Urban Outfitters:

urban1

Aug25

Crocker Park Haul

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Crocker Park Haul

Hello everyone and happy Thursday! Last week my mom, sister, and I went to my favorite place in the whole wide world…Crocker Park! For those of you who aren’t familiar with this amazing, luxurious, Ohio outdoor mall – just know that it is truly the happiest place on earth. It is a little heaven manifested in Westlake where blocks upon blocks of clothing, makeup, and home goods stores reside. Stores like Urban Outfitters, H&M, Francesca’s, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, Anthropology, Express, MAC, and Sephora…just to name a few! I made two purchases during our shopping outing and I’m seriously obsessed so take a look and let’s discuss:

The Haul:

  • Urban Outfitters Ecote brand dress
  • Francesca’s Miami brand flannel

Urban Outfitters: If I’m lucky, I make it out to Crocker Park about two times a year. Whenever I’m there, there are two stores that I always try to at least purchase something at and those are Urban Outfitters and H&M. Crocker Park is the only location with both of those stores and since it is about an hour drive away, I obviously don’t get to shop there frequently. Unfortunately, H&M had nothing that caught my eye during this shopping trip but I was so happy to find this gorgeous print dress on sale at Urban Outfitters!

Before our outing, my mom and I were chatting about what color clothing that we like to wear the best while we were walking our dogs. During which, I told her that I would love to find something gold or mustard yellow when we go to Crocker Park because I don’t mean to brag but those colors look dashing on me. 😉 I had my eyes peeled in every store we went into for something that fitted the color palette I was looking for. I struck out in almost all of them until my sister found my pretty little new number in the sale section of Urban. I had saw the dress but I skipped past it because the fit of it usually isn’t the most flattering on me. However, Kristen urged me to try it on so I did.

As soon as the dress was on, I knew that it was perfect. The colors were phenomenal and the fit was just right. It was flowy and fun as opposed to baggy and lifeless. When I walked out of the fitting room, my mom said that it was exactly what she was hoping I would find after our dog walking chat and my heart just melted. I love my new dress so much and I’m actually wearing it right now as I type this! ❤

Francesca’s: Of all of the seasons that Ohio experiences, fall is my all time favorite. About seventy-five percent of my wardrobe consists of fall clothing because I live for fall fashion. Therefore, when I saw my new black and white flannel from Francesca’s, I knew that I had to have it. I’m a big fan of flannels but the trick is that they have to be really unique because I feel like most flannels look exactly the same. When I saw that my new flannel had embroidered patterns in the design as well as zippers going up both of the sides, I fell in love because I knew that it would stick out.

What made the flannel even more “must have” worthy was that it looked really good with the outfit that I was already wearing – a black crop top, black shorts, and forest green wedges. That made it even harder to say no to the top which completed my outfit so nicely. I liked that it was more form fitting, too. It wasn’t tight my any means but compared to all of my baggy Gypsy Warrior flannels at home, it definitely was more fitted which was a nice change. I am looking forward to wearing this flannel around campus this fall for a laid back, college cool look.

The Crocker Park outing that I had with my mom and sister was a total success but I would have been happy even if I ended up with nothing. Us girls had so much fun wandering around the outdoor mall, looking in different stores, and chattering away that it would have been worth it to go home empty handed. BUT – I’m so glad that I didn’t! 😉

So there you have it, my Crocker Park Haul! Does anyone have an outdoor mall similar to Crocker Park in their neck of the woods? How about a favorite store to shop at that you live far away from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug13

Urban Outfitters Haul

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Urban Outfitters Haul

Hey everyone and happy weekend! If there’s one store that I love but can’t afford, it’s Urban Outfitters. I think that I actually admire UO from afar more than ModCloth and that’s really saying something but their clothes are just so me. I love that their clothes are grungy chic and edgy which is definitely more my style as opposed to the girly and sweet ModCloth. I only have a select few pieces from Urban and I had to be head over heels, can’t live without it in love with them to even consider making the purchase. But, thanks to an amazing thirty percent off the sale section sale that Urban was having on the Fourth of July, I was able to snag some amazing pieces at a fraction of the price. Take a look:

I’m honestly not sure what made me check out Urban Outfitters on that fateful day that I was able to get two amazing jackets and the coolest pants ever for a cool one hundred but I am so glad that I did! I think I was just in the mood to online shop that day, AKA fill a shopping cart with stuff and then exit out of the page. However, knowing that all of the on sale items were an additional thirty percent off made me bite the bullet and order my cart full of goodies because I knew that I would never get them for any cheaper.

I am so obsessed with all of my purchases and have been making great use out of all of them. My new black skinnies have been my go to-s since I received them in the mail. I think that they are just the coolest and I love that they’re an actual denim material as opposed to the stretchy jegging fabric that my skinny jean collection is filled with. I think that this keeps the color looking pitch black and perfect for much longer and I am so happy that the color hasn’t faded even a little since I got them.

I have also been enjoying the days that I can break out my new slouchy blazer when I’m at my internship or other job. I have been looking for a blazer for months now but all of the ones that I have encountered have just seemed so blah. I love that this one is more of a menswear style and fit because it adds a little extra something to it while still looking uber professional. I like this blazer because it’s great for wearing to work, running errands, or a night on the town.

It has not been cool enough in my neck of the woods to break out my knee length camouflage jacket but rest assured that I love that, too. A camo jacket or pants has been something that I have been on the hunt for recently, as well, but I have never been able to find anything that I liked enough to buy it. The trick is, is that I like dark camouflage as opposed to the classic shades of green that I usually come across. That’s why I just had to buy this UO jacket when I saw it because it’s literally the camo color combination that I’ve been looking for. I love that the deep green and grey color choices are nontraditional and that it is still a camo print without screaming “look at me, I’m wearing camouflage”. Although, if it was effective camo, no one would be able to see you anyways! 😉

I am so pleased with all of my new clothes from Urban Outfitters and can’t wait to wear everything more when the weather finally cools down. Thanks to an amazing sale, I was able to buy some pieces that I would never have gotten for myself otherwise and I am so happy for that. This haul makes me even more dedicated to my ballin on a budget lifestyle and I plan on continuing to scour Urban Outfitter’s website for more sales in the future!

So there you have it, my Urban Outfitters Haul! What store do you dream about purchasing from? What store have you gotten the best deals from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. –Sarah

Aug10

ModCloth Haul

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ModCloth Haul

Hey everyone and happy Hump Day! I recently just received the sweetest ModCloth Haul of all time – a box that went up to my shoulders filled with shoes for me! That’s right, I got FOUR pairs of ModCloth shoes for SEVENTY DOLLARS thanks to their end of summer sale. I stocked up on cute boots and killer wedges for a fraction of their original cost. I could not be happier with my purchases so take a look and let’s discuss:

^^^ PRETTY!!!!

My relationship with ModCloth is for the most part, nonexistent. Their prices just do not fit into my Lil Red Lifestyle of ballin on a budget so I just admire all of their gorgeous clothes and accessories from afar. I constantly lust over all of the prettiness that ModCloth has to offer and when the end of summer and winter come around, I religiously check the site to see when their amazing end of season sales take place. Usually around these times, the out of season items are marked down and an additional percentage is taken off, too. So, needless to say, when I learned that ModCloth’s sale items were an extra FORTY PERCENT OFF, homegirl just had to jump on the opportunity.

Jump on the opportunity? Psh, more like a pounce on said opportunity. I scoured the sale items and clicked on anything that tickled my fancy. After all, the prices were right! I ended up with two funky pairs of wedges, a penny loafer wedge, and my beautiful, beloved, gorgeous star studded booties. Said booties are actually what I would like to discuss today because there’s kind of a funny story behind them considering this was the third time that I ordered them. Let me explain…

I’ve been hungrily staring at these amazing booties on my laptop screen for the better part of two months. As soon as they got marked down, my mom generously offered to pay for them as an extra birthday present. As soon as “extra birthday present” traveled from my mom’s mouth and into my ears, I was on the computer and ordering the boots as quickly as my little fingers could. The boots arrived. They were perfect. End of story? Eh, not quite.

Literally three days after my order was placed, the boots were marked down further. *Sigh* So I had to do the old rebuy and return trick to get the better price. The boots arrived, again. They were still perfect. And the more expensive pair got returned. End of story?! Still no.

While browsing the sale pages, there they were. My star studded boots were marked down even further. *You’ve got to be freaking kidding me* Thankfully, I was still within the thirty day time period for a refund and was able to buy the boots one more time and return my current pair. The boots arrived, yet again. You already know that they were perfect. And that is the end of the story. The moral being: That I will do anything to save some extra moolah, even if that means buying the same pair of shoes three times to get the right price. #SMH

I have worn all of my new shoes except for my star booties which is funny considering the trouble I went through to get them. Reason being: It’s too damn hot in the AK-Rowdy to be marching around in skinny jeans and boots. So for the time being, I’ll march around in skinny jeans and wedges instead.

So there you have it, my latest ModCloth Haul! What is your favorite site to online shop on? What is your favorite ModCloth purchase? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. –Sarah

Aug9

Sephora Surprise

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Sephora Surprise

Hey everyone and happy Tuesday! Last week, my sister and I had a wonderful shopping trip to a nearby mall to get her some cute new outfits for her weekend trip to Chicago. We spent all evening in and out of different stores trying on and modeling new clothes, shoes, and accessories. Our final stop during our shopping outing was Sephora so Kristen could pick up “one thing”. Yeah, right. We spent at least forty-five minutes in the makeup emporium swatching everything from lipsticks and blushes to eyeshadows and foundations. Kristen ended up with a great makeup haul and also surprised me with a gorgeous Clinique treat. Take a look:

Once upon a time four or so years ago, my sister and I took a trip to Chicago. During one of our outings, we went shopping at the Watergate Mall (or whatever it’s called) which is eight stories high (or however many). Our first stop in the mall was at the MAC counter where I found an absolutely beautiful lavender colored blush. I was in love and it quickly became one of my makeup favorites.

I vowed to myself that as soon as I was out of the blush, I would purchase it again. I had every intention of doing so but unfortunately, when that day came, the MAC counter at my mall did not carry the shade. I was crushed. Since then, I have searched high and low for a similar shade but nothing, NOTHING could compare to the MAC blush that I loved so very much. Lucky for me, this all changed last week at Sephora…

I’ll be honest with you guys, I’m really not a big makeup girl. I literally wear the same makeup look every day and I don’t plan on changing it any time soon. My sister, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. She could spend an entire day in Sephora if she could. This is why I answered her testimony of only needing one thing there with an eyeroll because I knew that we would be there for a while.

The beauty must have that Kristen needed was a new blush from Clinique that was called “Melon Pop”. It was a beautiful peachy pink color that was going to look fantastic on her. I wasn’t very interested in any of the high end makeup that I was surrounded by, until I decided to further inspect Clinique’s new blush collection. That’s when I locked eyes on the shade called “Pansy Pop” and a montage of all the good times that I had with my MAC blush flashed before my eyes.

Kristen urged me to have one of the makeup pros that was working apply it for me but I knew that if I were to try it, I would buy it. Normally, I would be fine with this, but I have a hefty stack of textbooks that need purchased for the upcoming fall semester and those aren’t cheap! It made the twenty-two dollar a pop price for the blush seem ridiculous. As I was having a mental debate in my mind of whether to try it on or not, Kristen basically said that if I don’t, she will.

Within seconds, there was an employee, applying the blush… my blush to the apples of my sister’s cheeks. I caved instantly, and asked the worker to do mine next. The blush was divine. It layered perfectly on top of the pink blush that I was already wearing and created the most lovely field of flowers color on top of my pride and joy…my pasty pale skin. 😉

Of course, I wanted the blush badly, but I told my sister and the worker that I would think about it. All the while, I knew darn well that I should not be buying a twenty-two dollar blush at this time. I then made the solemn swear to myself that when I receive my next paycheck, I would come back for it and treat myself. The blush was not brought up for the rest of our Sephora excursion and I was glad because it hurt too much to think about it.

We finished our browsing around the store just at closing time and as far as I knew, Kristen left with two new lipsticks and the “Melon Pop” blush. As we began our walk through the mall to get to my car, Kristen told me, “by the way, I got that blush for you” and my jaw dropped. Instantly, “you really didn’t need to do that” came out of my mouth. She then answered with, “well, I knew you weren’t going to buy it for yourself” and left it at that.

Kristen seriously knows me so well because she was right. Even though I promised myself that I would get the blush soon, the chances of me following through with that were slim to none. I was so blown away by her generosity to her little sister and it just confirmed what I already know – that she is truly the best sister on the planet. Our trip to Sephora felt like I was reliving our time at the MAC counter in Chicago all of those years ago and it was so special to me to reminisce on those memories as well as make a new one.

We are still talking about how much fun we had during our most recent outing and it makes me feel good that she enjoys her time with me just as much as I do with her. Here’s to a great time and the best sisterhood a gal could ask for. I love you, Kristen! Thanks again! ❤

So there you have it, my Sephora Surprise compliments of my fabulous sister! What is your favorite item to splurge on at Sephora? What is one of your most loved makeup products? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: For lots of fun beauty posts, check out my MyLikes page! 🙂