Tag Archives: shopping

Apr9

Versatile Blogger Award #2

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Versatile Blogger Award #2

Hellooo everyone and happy weekend! Last week I was nominated by my friend, Teressina, over at teressinascrive for my second Versatile Blogger Award. I’m finally getting around to posting it and I’m just pleased as punch. I am so appreciative to everyone for the awards that I’ve been nominated for as of late so muchos gracias to all of you. Also, please be sure to check out Teressina’s page, it’s a real gem! Thank you so much, darling! With all of the blogging awards comes a set of rules to follow so take a look and then let’s get to it:

The Rules:

  • Show the award on my blog.
  • Thank the person who nominated me.
  • Share 7 things about myself.
  • Nominate 10 blogs.

All About Me:

  1. The most recent exciting thing in my life is that I got a summer internship at my school! Tri-C offered me three different internships and unfortunately I only could pick one but I went with working in the Learning Commons. I can’t wait to spend my summer semester working on campus and am looking forward to all of the experience that comes with it!
  2. I turn 22 on June 7th and I really want to get a bunny for my birthday! A female, jet black, dwarf rabbit to be specific. 😉
  3. My guilty pleasure television shows are My 600 Lb. Life and Botched.
  4. I seriously despised high school but college is literally my favorite thing in the world.
  5. My go to drink at the bar is a Vodka Sour or a Mojito if I’m feeling saucy. But I would much prefer just staying at home and drinking a cheap bottle of wine. My boyfriend and I call my favorite super sweet wine “Princess Juice”.
  6. I love to read and have finally jumped on the bandwagon that is The Hunger Games. I’m halfway through Catching Fire and I’m freaking obsessed.
  7. Shopping is my sport of choice and my favorite stores are easily H&M, Forever 21, TJMaxx, and Target.

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

So there you have it, lifewithlilred’s second Versatile Blogger Award! Thanks again to Teressina at teressinascrive for the nomination! What are some fun facts about yourself? Does anyone have any big weekend plans? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr5

TJ’s Trip

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TJ’s Trip

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! As you guys know, I freaking LOVE TJMaxx. I live for all of the fabulous but affordable finds there and always enjoy a TJ’s shopping trip even if I leave empty handed. My mom and I go to TJ’s once or twice a month to see what’s new and we had one of our excursions this past weekend. We left with a scarf for both of us, a new toy for both of our dogs, and a little “Ollie sized” food dish for our most recently adopted pup. I’m seriously so in love with my BCBGeneration scarf that I can’t even handle it so take a look at the darling new addition to my wardrobe:

^^^ So cute!

Usually when my mom and I shop at TJ’s, we breeze by their selection of scarves because we don’t wear them often. However, my mom said that she would like a new and lighter one for spring so we took our time and thumbed through the many scarves that TJ’s had on display. I found my mom a lovely black, grey, and white striped scarf that looked so adorable on her so we decided to go with that one and continue scouring the store.

As we were walking away to go check out the shoes, I took one last survey of the scarves and found the only Popsicle print square scarf that was hanging up. I was instantly enamored by the whimsical pattern, creamy colors, and vintage feel of the silky BCBGeneration scarf. I knew right away that I wanted it. The scarf was the perfect amount of cute and quirky that I love and it was at just the right price of eight bucks. How can you say no to that?!

As soon as I saw the scarf, I began thinking of all of the different ways that I could wear it this spring and summer. Tied in a bow around my neck, Parisian style, as a turban, as a hair wrap, casually flung over my shoulders – the possibilities were endless! I love pieces that are versatile and can be worn during all or most seasons. This sweet little square scarf passed that requirement with flying colors!

The best part about this scarf is the pure luxury of it for such an amazing price. The rich cream, mauve, and baby blue palette just screams vintage chic and the silky material feels so fabulous to the touch. I adore the BCBGeneration brand, too, so the fact that my scarf came from their collection was another added bonus. I’m so excited to sport my quirky and sweet new scarf this season and I’m so beyond happy with my latest TJMaxx find!

My mom and I’s latest TJ’s Trip was an obvious success and I live for our monthly shopping excursions together! What is your favorite way to wear a scarf? What was the latest purchase you made while out shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar26

New NYX Lipsticks

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New NYX Lipsticks

Hellooo everyone and happy weekend! I absolutely love the makeup brand, NYX, and I recently restocked my favorite shade of their matte lipstick and purchased a color in their new Liquid Suede cream lipstick, too. NYX has the literal best matte lipstick that I’ve ever used in my life and I swear by my go to color, Pure Red. In almost every single picture of me that I have posted on lifewithlilred, chances are that I’m wearing my favorite shade. I was running low on my lipstick so I had to snag another tube from Target and also ended up with their Liquid Suede lipstick in Stone Fox. Take a look at the packaging and my skin swatches and then let’s discuss:

Before I began using NYX’s matte lipstick, I was using Covergirl and blow drying the bejeezus out of my lips to give it the perfect matte finish. At the time, there really was no reputable matte lipsticks out in any brand so I thought that I would be stuck blow drying my lippies until they fall off. Then, one day, I stumbled upon NYX’s matte lipstick at the grocery store and was so impressed by the ones that I tested that I bought at least five different shades that day. Of course, Pure Red ended up being my favorite and I’ve been a faithful user ever since.

As soon as I saw that I was running low on my Pure Red, it was vital that I got a new tube ASAP. Thankfully, a trip to Target remedied my restocking needs and I had a brand new matte lippy stored safely in my basket. During that shopping trip, I had the insatiable urge to try something new, as well. I’ll be frank, I’m not keen on the super colorful lipstick trend. I don’t care for the blues, greens, and purples that have been flooding my Facebook and WordPress newsfeed as of late. However, I was very interested in trying to find a grey or a black lipstick to try.

I knew that NYX had recently come out with their Liquid Suede line that boasted a wide variation of colors so I was really happy to see that Target had the new collection fully stocked. They had your classic reds and pinks as well as the funky crayon box colors, too. But at the very end of their color spectrum, they had a deep grey shade called Stone Fox. It was exactly what I wanted but I was very nervous to buy it without testing it in case it looked fucking miserable. So I did what any self respecting asshole of a shopper would do…I removed the plastic wrapping on the lipstick, went to the nearest mirror in the clothing section, and gave it a try…

It. Looked. Horrible. The dark grey was just too much and I looked like a total freak. I panicked, because I didn’t know how I was going to get the color off because it was clinging to my lips for dear life. Then, I had an idea. I dug into my purse and grabbed one of my berry flavored tinted chapsticks to see if I could coax the color off by applying some moisture. I smudged on the chapstick and rubbed my lips together like I was trying to start a fire and then I examined the results in the mirror…

Not bad. Not bad at all. The Liquid Suede/chapstick combo resulted in a smokey pink with the most subtle hint of lavender and it looked so cool! I showed my mom the shade that I concocted and she loved it, too. I asked her what color she thought it was and she was dumbfounded when I told her that my custom color was born from a lipstick shade that looked like I had smeared car grease onto my mouth.

After achieving a unique kind of success with the Liquid Suede shade, I couldn’t not buy it…Especially considering I had already opened it. I tested my Berry Smokey color around my best friend and boyfriend and it was the first thing that they complimented me on when they saw me. I was so pleasantly surprised when my boyfriend noticed because makeup isn’t his forte in the slightest! Honestly, makeup really isn’t my strong point either so I was so happy that I was able to turn a totally dreadful color into something edgy and cool all on my own.

So after reading the tale of my small lipstick victory, the real question is, would I recommend the products that I purchased? If you are a fan of red lipstick, I would without a doubt recommend NYX’s Pure Red matte lipstick. It’s the most gorgeous shade of red that I have ever seen and if you don’t believe me – check out all of my pics from yesterday’s photo shoot post!

As far as NYX’s Liquid Suede cream lipstick in Stone Fox goes, I’m kind of wishy washy about it. If you want to look like you fell face first into wet tar, then yes, totally buy this product. If you want to create your own smokey shade by mixing it with another lipstick or balm, then yes, totally buy this product. However, if you’re looking for a subtle way to rock a dark lipstick shade, then this cream lipstick is not for you. Wearing the deep grey color alone was too much, even for me, and that’s really saying something considering I’m the queen of all things edgy and quirky. So, yes, I suppose I do recommend this product, too, but just know what you’re getting yourself into before you buy it.

All in all, I’m really pleased with my New NYX Lipsticks and I’m so happy that I found such a reliable brand to suit all of my makeup needs. What is your favorite NYX product? How do you feel about the lipsticks that I wrote about today if you use either? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar24

New American Eagle Outfitters Jeans

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New American Eagle Outfitters Jeans

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! I hope all of you are having a great week so far. A little fact about Lil Red is that I freaking hate blue jeans. I absolutely one hundred and fifty percent despise them. I feel like they are so unflattering on me and that they make me look like a total heifer. Therefore, I only wear black skinny jeans. But here’s the thing – the skinnies can’t look or feel like denim. I’ve been in need of a new pair of these hard to come by pants for a while and finally caved this past weekend and purchased a pair from American Eagle Outfitters. Despite a few issues that I have with them, they’re alright so far so let’s discuss:

My holy grail pair of black skinnies is from H&M. They’re the literal best pair of pants that I ever owned and I love them so much. Unfortunately, my H&Ms as well as my pair from Express are starting to show signs of wear and tear which needed to be remedied ASAP. The nearest H&M to me is about an hour away and Express is way too expensive for my liking so I had to do some soul searching around the mall to find a pair that I could live with.

After trying on a few duds, I ended up settling for the AEO Sateen Jegging. I really liked the material that it was made out of because it didn’t feel like denim at all. They seriously feel like cloth on my legs when in all reality, they’re made out of a Super Super Stretch cotton blend of denim. This was a major plus for me because I hate the texture of denim and the way it lays on my body. And even though these jeggings felt awesome on my skin, they didn’t look like cloth by any means which I would never be caught dead in.

Another bonus about my new jeggings is that they fit skin tight but because the material is so stretchy, you never feel constricted. My other pairs of skinnies no longer fit closely to my skin anymore from over a year of wear so it felt really good to try on a pair of skinnies that fit nice and tight, like they should. I think that my new jeggings look really flattering and I love the way that they make my legs and booty look thanks to their super snug fit.

Although I really do love the fit and make of AEO’s Sateen Jeggings, I can’t help but think that they’re a little boring. My pair from Express was embellished with a snakeskin pattern while my H&M pair was coated and had quilted patches on the knees. It’s essential to me that the clothes that I buy have a little extra something to them to make them unique and unfortunately, there isn’t anything special about my AEO pair. Don’t get me wrong, I do like them but because I was in such desperate need for new pantalones, I ended up settling for the pair at the mall that didn’t suck the least.

Another major downside to American Eagle’s denim is their outrageous prices. These jeggings cost me fifty dollars which I was not thrilled about. My favorite pair of skinnies from H&M were half the price at twenty-five bucks so to pay double for a pair that didn’t totally knock my socks off kind of hurt. I think the prices at AEO are absurd to begin with so I was kind of mad that the jeggings I went with were from there. But hey, I was desperate and beggars can’t be choosers.

Even though I feel pretty wishy washy about my New American Eagle Outfitters Jeans, I am happy that I got them. They were much needed, they fit well, and I know that I’ll get a lot of use out of them. The clothes that I have purchased from AE has lasted me such a long time so I know that these jeggings will be no exception. Now if only I can make it out to H&M to restock my black skinnies collection with some pieces that are more reasonably priced!

You can check out my new AEO Sateen Jeggings as well as all of American Eagle’s clothing on the link provided. What is the best place to find black skinny jeans at? What is your favorite store to splurge at? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar1

TJMaxx Haul

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TJMaxx Haul

Heyy everyone and happy Tuesday! Over the weekend my mom and I ventured to one of the bigger TJMaxx stores in our general area for some shopping and scored some amazing deals. My mom and I concluded long ago that a shopping trip to TJs is going to be a hit or a miss and lucky for us, it was a definite hit this time around! We snagged some fabulous products from The Body Shop as a treat which is what I’ll be discussing today! Take a look at our finds:

tbss

Our Purchases:

  • Satsuma body scrub: $5
  • Strawberry body scrub: $5
  • Jumbo Satsuma body butter: $10
  • Jumbo Honeymania body butter: $10
  • Cocoa Butter body butter: $6
  • Vineyard Peach body butter: $6
  • Grand Total: $42
  • Estimated In Store Price: $120+

During our TJs shopping excursion my mom and I spent quite some time in their bath and body care section which we don’t do very often. We rarely shop at the store that we were at, though, and we wanted to explore everything that it had to offer. I’m glad we did because we ended up with the haul of a lifetime thanks to their products from The Body Shop. When we saw all of the body butters, shower gels, and scrubs that were stocking the shelves, we couldn’t not grab a few! Especially when the prices were so amazing!

As an unspoken rule between my mom and myself, we never shop The Body Shop’s bath and body section when we’re in the store. We simply refuse to spend twenty-one dollars on a tub of body butter when we can get a huge jug of lotion at Target for a quarter of the price. Therefore, we only use the skin care and makeup products that TBS has to offer which is all we really need. My mom and I are longtime customers of The Body Shop and I also worked as their Assistant Manager for a while. With our knowledge of their body care prices in mind, we simply couldn’t believe how dirt cheap TJ’s selection was.

We scoured the shelves looking for all of the different scents that were hiding in all of the nooks and crannies and ended up with some of our favorites. I was SO excited because the Vineyard Peach and Cocoa Butter are my two all time favorite scents. We were also surprised to find jumbo body butter tubs so we grabbed a tub of Satsuma and Honeymania. You literally can’t go wrong with Satsuma and my mom loves Honeymania so I was glad I could talk her in to snagging a tub of her favorite for herself. It didn’t take much convincing though!

I rarely use body scrubs but I do have a soft spot in my heart for the Satsuma and Strawberry scrubs that The Body Shop has to offer. On the rare occasion that my sister and I have one of the scrubs at home, we use them to shave our legs. I had leg shaving on my mind when we were shopping (weird) because I planned on having a bath and shaving when we got home. So of course, I had to put a Satsuma and Strawberry scrub in to our pile. One for me and one for my sister.

At this point in our shopping, I had to go and get a cart so we could tote around our finds and browse some more. My mom ended up with a new pair of navy blue Keds to wear when she’s out and about. They’re so cute! We also spent a somewhat unnecessary amount of time in their animal section picking out a water dish for our newly adopted Ollie as well as some toys for him and his Golden Retriever big sister to play with. After inspecting our cart that was bulging full with doggy toys, I came to the conclusion that the time spent squeaking every single one was so necessary.

I can’t believe the stroke of luck that we had finding all of our TBS purchases. It’s going to be such a nice treat to use them because we literally never would buy them for ourselves otherwise. My mom and I already have plans of using up all of our half finished lotion and saving our butters for special occasions and colder weather. There’s nothing better than a good haul – especially when you get your purchases for the right price!

So there you have it, my most recent TJMaxx Haul! I had the best time shopping with my mom and I’m so happy with all of the fabulous treats that we found. What is your favorite beauty product to splurge on? What is your favorite fragrance from The Body Shop? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb21

Hello, It’s Me!

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Hello, It’s Me!

Hey there everyone and happy Sunday! I hope all of you are having a wonderful and relaxing weekend. I’ve noticed that I haven’t put up a whole lot of pictures of me on the ol’ blog lately. To remedy that, I had my dad break out his prized camera and snap some pictures of me during this past week. We shot some pictures outside and as you can see, Ohio got quite a bit of snow! (So much so that I was snowed in at home for an afternoon!) We also took some pics on our cool, color blocked hallway for your viewing pleasure. Take a look:

^^^ Thanks, dad! ❤

What I Wore:

  • Featured Image Jacket: This was one of my Christmas gifts, compliments of Target. You can read all about it in my post, New Coat Heaven.
  • Killin’ It Hoodie: My hoodie dress is one of my all time favorite Forever 21 finds which you can read about in my Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition.
  • Black Skinnies: I got these from Express about a year or so ago. They used to have the coolest snakeskin pattern printed on them but unfortunately it faded away after over a year of washing. -_-
  • Zipper Front Heels: These babies are one of my steals that I got from Kohl’s a while back ago which you can read about in, If The Shoe Fits – Apt. 9 Edition.
  • Teal Fingerless Gloves: My glovies are one of my favorite accessories that I own. My mom got these for me from TJMaxx when I was in high school. It was on a day that I didn’t feel like going to school so we went shopping instead! I love them just as much now as I did when I first got them.

It was so nice to be able to spend the afternoon being photographed by my dear old dad. He definitely shot some winners and it was a great way to spend time together! How has everyone’s weekend been? What kind of weather are you having in your neck of the woods right now? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan25

Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition

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Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! Last weekend my mom and I ventured to one of the bigger malls that my area of Ohio has to offer, Southpark Mall in Strongsville. We rarely go to Southpark and the last time that I went was years ago. The mall is absolutely gigantic and we went during the holiday season last time around so needless to say, it was quite overwhelming. Last week we went just to change things up a little bit and I died and went to Forever 21 heaven. Their store was huge! Take a look at my latest goodies from my most recent shopping trip:

^^^ I’m a fan.

As all of you know, Lil Red rocks all black everything more often than not so when I saw these edgy hoodie dresses, I knew that they had to be mine. When I used to work at an urban clothing store called Next, they carried the brand HBA (Hood By Air) and I was obsessed. I think that these hoodies are very reminiscent of HBA which is one of the many reasons why I like them so much. Plus, they were infinitely cheaper which was an added bonus! For both of these hoodie dresses I paid fifty dollars which is a quarter of the price of one HBA top. Score!

Usually I’m not one to gravitate towards hoodies or sweatshirts. I much prefer sharp sweaters, tops, or jackets. However, I really liked that these hoodies both went down below the normal at the hip length. The “Killin’ It” sweat dress went down to a little below my knees and the “In High Demand” zip up went down to my calves. This automatically made them way more edgy to me and it created endless styling possibilities.

The great thing about these hoodie dresses, asides from how cute they are, is all of the different outfits that you can wear with them. I tried the sweat dresses on over my black skinnies which worked really well but the possibilities are endless! I can’t wait to wear them with nothing underneath as a real dress or with a pair of opaque or sheer black tights. I also plan on wearing the “In High Demand” dress with the zipper undone to show off a cute pair of shorts and top in the summer. I really like pieces that you can wear all year round so that you can get creative with how you style it!

I’m so aware that these sweat dresses are really similar to each other but I couldn’t pick just one to save my life! I know that if I chose only one that I would be thinking about the hoodie that I left behind for forever. I’m also really glad that I did buy both because when my boyfriend and I went to the mall that he lives by, I popped in the Forever 21 there and they didn’t have either of them! That made me even happier with my decision.

I’ve worn both of my hoodie dresses multiple times already and I can’t get enough of them. I like that these pieces are both amazingly comfortable but they by no means sacrifice style while wearing them. The “Killin’ It” sweat dress is so fun and I had to laugh because I wore it on Thursday night when I was coaching figure skating for the Special Olympics and we just happened to be taking photos that day. I’m sure all of the pictures that I’m in turned out really swell since I’m rockin a hoodie with “Killin’ It” plastered across the front!

As I write this post I’m wearing my “In High Demand” zip up over a pair of black skinnies and a graphic baseball tee and it certainly spruces up the outfit! It also keeps me nice and warm because it’s very chilly in my neck of the woods today. I’m so pleased with my latest purchases and I can’t wait to wear them for many seasons to come. Thanks, Forever 21! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition! I hope all of you are having a wonderful start to your week so far. How was everyone’s weekend? Who has recently snagged some cute new clothes while shopping? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan23

Liebster Award #3

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Liebster Award #3

Hi everyone and happy weekend! I hope everyone is having a fabulous day so far. I got nominated for my third Liebster Award by the darling Camille over at mrsshern a couple of days ago and am so totally flattered! Her blog is a real gem so make sure you check it out. It’s always so much fun to participate in these blogging awards and get new people involved! Of course with all of these awards comes a set of rules for those who have been nominated to follow. Read the rules over and then see how I answered the questions that Camille asked to her nominees:

The Rules:

• Tag the person who nominated you and thank them.
• Answer the 10 questions you are given.
• Nominate 10 new bloggers and tag them.
• Give them 10 new questions to answer.
• Notify your nominees.

Q & A:

Describe your blogging style in best FIVE words?

Quirky, witty, sharp, insightful, and interesting (I hope!).

What is the best ONE beauty product you can’t live without? Why?

NYX’s Pure Red matte lipstick because it’s the perfect shade of red, the best matte lipstick I’ve ever used, and it completes the Lil Red look.

If you are to do a makeup look for ONE person for the rest of your life, who would it be and why?

Uhhhh….I don’t really know how to answer that question because I suck at doing makeup for other people. Haha, I guess doing stage makeup would be fun. I used to be really in to acting and I envied everyone who could do their makeup on their own.

What is the ONE best advice you would give your younger self when it comes to beauty? Why?

Let’s see…Probably to learn how to dye my hair at home because it would save you a fortune! The money I’ve saved from dying my hair with boxed color is insane.

If you are not a blogger, what would you be doing right now?

Working a shitty retail job. Blogging has given me an awesome way to earn some extra money while I’m in school full time at Tri-C.

What is ONE funniest beauty horror story you had?

Oh gosh, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever had a real “horror” story when it comes to my makeup. However, last time I got my hair cut my amazing stylist gave me this awesome pompadour with twisted braids on both sides of my head. I was so happy with how it turned out but as soon as my boyfriend and I got home, I changed shirts from the cute one that I was wearing to a comfy t-shirt for lounging. By the time the t-shirt was on, my perfectly styled tower of hair had fallen and all that was left was a crunchy and hair sprayed mess. I was SO so pissed because it was one of those things that I should have seen coming a mile away but naturally I disregarded it!

What is ONE product that you keep inside your every day makeup bag that you don’t really use at all?

Hmmm…I don’t really have anything in my makeup collection that I don’t use. I hate clutter, so I try to be good about throwing away old makeup products or giving the things that I don’t want to my sister.

What is the first thing you do in the morning as soon as you wake up?

I hate saying this…But I check my phone! It’s like the millennials version of reading the newspaper and I hate myself for it!

What is ONE beauty routine you can’t live without?

Washing my face with a really good cleanser. I can’t stand the feeling of my skin being dull or dirty so skin care is a must for me.

What is your main goal as a blogger?

To make a living out of it! I’m so passionate about lifewithlilred and I’m working very hard every day to make it a success.

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

My Questions For You:

  1. If you could spend a day with anyone in the world, who would it be?
  2. What is your least favorite color?
  3. Would you rather have bad breath or a piece of spinach stuck between your teeth all day?
  4. What is your favorite candy?
  5. What is your favorite store to go shopping at?
  6. What was your favorite toy to play with when you were little?
  7. If you could have one super power what would it be?
  8. Where is one place that you would like to travel to?
  9. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
  10. What is your favorite thing to write about?

Thank you so much again to my friend, Camile, at mrsshern for the nomination! Liebster Award #3 was a blast to fill out and I am so thrilled to be nominated again! How would you answer some of the questions that I asked my nominees? What is everyone up to this weekend? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan18

Monday Update: My Second Beauty Blogger Award Edition

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Monday Update: My Second Beauty Blogger Award Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend! On Friday I got nominated by my friend, Kezzie, at: kezziescorner for the Beauty Blogger Award. I was so flattered to be nominated for the second time by such a fantastic blogger so make sure you check out her page! With all of the fun blogging awards comes rules, of course, so take a look and then see how I answered the questions that Kezzie asked her nominees:

The Rules:

  • Tag and thank who nominated you.
  • Respond to the questions that your nominator gave you.
  • Nominate 10 new beauty/fashion bloggers.
  • Create 10 new questions for these bloggers to answer.
  • Tell the blogger that you nominated them.

Got it? Good! Now let’s take a look at Kezzie’s questions:

Q & A:

Are you studying? If so what?

Yes, I am! I’m currently working towards getting my Associate of Arts degree at Tri-C in Cleveland, Ohio.

What are you reading right now?

I just started The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. I’m about one hundred pages in and I really like it so far!

What is your favorite lipstick shade?

That’s easy! I love NYX’s Pure Red matte lipstick. It’s seriously the best matte lipstick I’ve ever used and the shade is perfect for Lil Red!

What is your go to outfit for winter?

During the winter, I like to wear my black skinnies (obviously), with a chunky sweater, my Michael Kors booties, one of my many peacoats, and the super warm gloves my boyfriend got me for Christmas.

What is your favorite all time TV character?

This is also an easy one. Elaine from Seinfeld will always be one of my all time favorite TV characters. I want to be her when I grow up.

Do you have a favorite Youtuber?

Not really, I don’t go on YouTube very often.

What inspires you the most in life?

People who are working their asses off to improve their lives and themselves.

What do you do when you are having a bad day?

Hmmm…Before, when I had a bad day I used to use really unhealthy coping mechanisms. Now that I’m clean from that, I like to take bubble baths, write, and binge watch Netflix in bed when I’m having a bad day…So basically what I do every day. 😉

What is your favorite nail polish shade?

Black. Black. Black. I don’t paint my nails often but when I do I always paint them black. Lol, I sound like the Dos Equis guy! When I used to have my talon like fake nails, they were always black with red for an accent nail and a cross on both of my middle fingers. I miss my fake nails so much but they were a lot of upkeep and not having them is a total money saver. Now every time I do something that definitely would have broken a nail, I breathe a little sigh of relief in knowing that I won’t have to rush to the salon to get it fixed!

What is your favorite makeup store?

I love The Body Shop and a lot of my makeup does come from there but honestly, I’m just as happy getting the last odds and ends of what I need at Target. They have a shockingly wonderful makeup selection and I like to use Covergirl and Rimmel. For a treat, I like to use their Pixie brand!

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

My Questions For You:

  1. What is your favorite beauty item that you treat yourself with?
  2. What was one of your worst fashion or beauty moments?
  3. If you could raid one celebrity’s wardrobe, who would it be?
  4. Would you rather wear the same outfit every day for a week or not wear makeup for a month?
  5. Bubble baths or long showers?
  6. Did someone teach you how to wear makeup or did you learn how to do it on your own?
  7. What is your favorite makeup or clothing store to score a bargain?
  8. What was your favorite fashion or beauty moment?
  9. How would you describe your style?
  10. Everyone has a color that just looks perfectly awful on them. What color is that for you? What about the color that looks best on you?

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: My Second Beauty Blogger Award Edition! Thank you so much again to my friend, Kezzie, at: kezziescorner for the nomination! How was everyone’s weekend? How would you answer some of the questions that I asked my nominees? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan14

Sujata Gazder Wedding Look

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Sujata Gazder Wedding Look

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! This past week I was so honored to be asked by the amazing designer, Sujata Gazder, to create a punky cool wedding look with one of her dresses. Usually wedding attire isn’t my forte but I was excited to give it a try. As you read this post, you can shop along at Gazder’s website: sujatagazder and check out her blog at: sujatagazderblog, as well! Now, check out how I would style an edgy and unconventional wedding look:

Ta Da! While I was creating this look, it was important to me that it still looked wedding appropriate. I achieved this by sticking with a gorgeous and somewhat traditional dress and then accessorizing with pieces that you might not see at your every day wedding. Let’s discuss:

The dress: As I browsed through Sujata Gazder’s website, this dress spoke to me. I liked that it definitely looked like a wedding dress but it was unique enough that one could get away with styling it in an edgy fashion. The hand embroidered vine design at the top of the gown eases effortlessly in to the layers of tulle ruffles for a fun and unexpected twist. The beauty of the dress is its versatility. There are so many different ways to style it depending on the bride, which makes the possibilities endless. The impeccable design, flow, and overall look of this dress allowed me to create a cool punk look that was still appropriate for walking down the aisle.

Hats off: I knew right away that I wanted to top the wedding look off with a hat or fascinator. I also knew that I wanted it to be veiled. Originally, I had my heart set on a pill box hat but as I browsed through different options, none of them screamed out at me. After I searched through the world wide web for a while, I finally stumbled upon the fascinator pictured above. I loved how quirky and sweet it was but I knew that when paired with the right accessories, it would still fall under the punk category. The only thing that I would change about this piece would be the length of the veil. In my mind I envisioned the veil to be long enough to completely cover the face and then be able to pull it back after the bride made her way down the aisle.

Black gloves: Nothing says drama more than a pair of elbow length black gloves. I thought that a glove would pair perfectly with the dress, fascinator, and over all feel of the look that I was going for. Long gloves are so chic and sharp and doing them in  jet black is an edgy twist on the traditional white or cream. They’re bold yet so elegant and classy. To really take the gloves over the top, you could also pile on loud rings and chunky bracelets for some bling!

Sparkled & spiked shoes: As I planned this look out, I knew that the shoes had to be completely out of the ordinary. However, every heel or stiletto that I thought might work always ended up falling short of my expectations. They just weren’t bold enough. I wanted something really loud and I also wanted the shoes to be blatantly “punk”. After much pondering and disappointment, I began to think about heel-less heels and stumbled upon the little beauties featured above from aliexpress. I think that these heel-less heels are absolutely to die for and I love how they counterbalance the sweetness of the dress. Spikes and sparkles? Yes, please. Any bride that can stomp down the aisle in these babies is a friend of mine!

Pucker up: Dramatic makeup is a must for this look and nothing does that better than a deep oxblood lip. Every bride needs the perfect pout to complete her look and a sultry dark shade is the best cocktail of sexy, sophisticated, and so so cool. A beautiful bold lip and a smouldering charcoal smokey eye are the finishing touches in achieving a wedding look that is perfectly punk and totally pretty.

So there you have it, my Sujata Gazder Wedding Look! I had such a blast creating this post and please be sure to check out all of the links within the article to do some shopping of your own! What piece would you like to wear from Sujata Gazder’s collection? How would you style a punk wedding look? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah