Tag Archives: skin care

Feb2

TJMaxx Winter Haul: So Much Skin Care

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TJMaxx Winter Haul: So Much Skin Care

Hello! If you look at my newly organized beauty hoard, it is very easy to think that I definitely don’t need any more skin or bath and body care. I say FALSE and figured that my TJMaxx gift cards would be perfect to use for fortifying my stock pile and eliminating restock orders for a good long while. When scouring the beauty aisles in TJs, I had my eye open for moisturizer, serum, eye cream, and whatever else tickled my fancy. I ended up walking away with all of the following:

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As I mentioned before, it has been such a long time since I shopped in TJMaxx and I forgot how much fun it was to find new treasures in their beauty section. Prior to the pandemic, I would test out new skin care from TJs every couple of months when I needed a restock. Now, however, I have stuck to using tried and true favorites that I can order easily and have available at home. While this shopping trip would have been much better with my mom or sister there, it was still exciting to browse the aisles by myself!

While I paid full price for several of the products that I purchased, I was happy to find that a few of them were on clearance, which sweetened the deal even more. I am especially thrilled about the Evoluderm micellar water from France. It is, easily, the best micellar water that I have ever used so I had to grab the last two big bottles available.

I am most looking forward to testing out the new serums because I have been using the Tree Of Life ones for a while. They are fine and I have no major complaints but I am always open to trying new products. The same goes for moisturizer and eye cream. The Garnier SkinActive moisturizer and Elf Holy Hydration! eye cream have been staples in my skin care routine for almost a year so I can’t wait to shake things up!

Finally, I just had to buy another St. Ives scrub because they are my absolute favorite as well as one more SkinLab cleanser. I haven’t even used the SkinLab face washes that I have yet but I love that brand so how bad can it be? 😀

When it comes to my beauty stock pile, it never hurts to have extra – obviously! This huge haul will serve me well for many months to come and nothing beats when it was all purchased on a gift card!

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

Jan30

January 2022 Finishes

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January 2022 Finishes

Hello everyone and welcome to the first beauty empties post of 2022! Beauty care in the winter is all about hydrating dry skin, which I tended to this past month with lots of body butters that I finally got around to using from The Body Shop. My hands have suffered from dry winter skin for as long as I can remember and they have looked much better this time around thanks to these product finishes:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

TBS Body Butters: I have always been fond of the products from The Body Shop and their body butters are wonderful. Using them is such a lush experience and it feels like the ultimate treat from my own self care perspective. The Moringa butter is not my favorite scent by TBS but that’s because I’m not a floral girl, however, if given the opportunity I would happily use any of their product lines!

It took about a week and a half to finish each mini jar from nightly use on my hands and areas where I have stretch marks. After the body butter is on my hands, I put on my compression gloves for bed and have noticed a huge difference in the discoloration and texture of my dry skin. TBS body butters are the best extra oomph that you need for nourishing winter skin.

Equilibria Oil: This oil treatment was a Christmas gift that actually included soothing CBD in its ingredients. It took me roughly two months to finish the Equilibria Daily Oil Treatment and I would use it again if it was gifted to me but wouldn’t buy it for myself. The scent wasn’t the most pleasant and it was also a mixed bag in terms of effectiveness. Sometimes, it left my skin feeling even dryer than before and left my face with unsightly red patches. Other times, it felt hydrating and my skin looked picture perfect. Not the best product but not the worst.

Clinique Moisturizer: The Moisture Surge moisturizer by Clinique was a freebie from a past Sephora haul and I really enjoyed it. I finished the jar after a week of morning and night use and wish that I had more of it! This moisturizer had a slightly thicker texture than a traditional gel one and was ultra nourishing but never felt heavy. It absorbed quickly and sat well under makeup. I probably will never get a full size of this moisturizer but will always order it if it is a freebie option with Sephora!

Overall, my first beauty finishes of 2022 was pretty good. While I’m pleased with most of the products, I’m even happier to be using up lots of the goodies in my new and improved beauty hoard! 😀

Which products did you use up this month? How do you combat dry skin? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan2

New & Improved Beauty Hoard

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New & Improved Beauty Hoard

Hello! Saying that mine and Johnny’s refrigerator/pantry situation was getting cluttered was a severe understatement. So, I took it upon myself during winter break to rectify this. But, I didn’t stop there and I cleared enough pantry space to incorporate my beauty hoard into it. Originally, my stock pile was just a big Amazon box filled with products. Now, it looks like this:

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From Bath & Body Works freebies to semi annual sale hauls, I don’t think I realized just how much I had in my hoard until seeing it all set out in front of me. I knew that I was a product pack rat prior to but damn lol. Sifting through my stock pile was very enlightening, to say the least, and I also found the face masks that I thought I misplaced and an extra bottle of Tree Of Life serum. 😀

My new stock pile set up is something that I am very pleased with and it will also help me save some money. Normally, when I am restocking supplies, I just get a little bit of everything regardless of if I actually need it or not. Now, I can see clearly what I need to buy more of and what I can hold off on. For example, I always seem to be buying more micellar water but it turns out I have four bottles of it!

Not only is this new set up handy but it is also very visually pleasing to me. It’s like my own little beauty shop right in my pantry. Now that I have my hoard all nice and organized, I can’t believe it was ever stowed away like it was. GREAT SUCCESS!

This was a little project but it made a big difference and I vow to never do my hoard the disservice of an Amazon box again. 😀

What is in your beauty hoard? Where do you stow your stock pile? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec31

December 2021 Finishes

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December 2021 Finishes

Hello everyone and welcome to the last post of 2021 here on lifewithlilred! We’ll talk New Years tomorrow but, today, we will be wrapping up the year with my December finishes. There were a lot of them so let’s get started:

Would I Use Again:

Why/Why Not?

Clean & Clear Cleanser: I absolutely love the Morning Burst cleanser by Clean & Clear. It is so refreshing during my morning shower and the citrus scent never fails to at least sort of wake me up lol. This cleanser leaves my skin feeling invigorated and looking bright. It was also an excellent value! I bought it in a set of two for eleven dollars and it took me about five months to finish one bottle.

St. Ives Scrub: I have always loved the St. Ives scrubs and have been using them on and off since I was a teenager. My favorite, of course, is the Apricot scrub and I just had to buy it when I saw it for three bucks at TJMaxx. It has been a while since I used this scrub and I was honestly blown away the first time I used it again. My skin felt SO. Freaking. Soft. and I looked forward to using it every morning. It took me a little over one month to finish the bottle.

B&BW Body Wash: This lavender scented aromatherapy body wash was a gift from my bestie and I used it as a bubble bath. While I would happily use this again if I was gifted with it, I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it for myself. I much prefer the regular old body washes from B&BW. That’s not to say that the aromatherapy one wasn’t pleasant to use, though. It smelled nice and bubbled up really well! I got about eight uses out of one bottle.

A La Maison Cream: If you read the linked review for this hand cream, then you will know that I freaking loved it. If you didn’t read the linked review, then I freaking loved this hand cream lol. It is one of the best products that I have used in a while and I wish I had more of it. I could take or leave the Wildflower scent but that’s no matter because of how well it worked. I noticed a huge difference in how my hands looked and felt after just one use. It took over a month of daily use to finish one bottle.

Tree Of Life Serum: It took my skin a couple of uses to get used to the Retinol serum by Tree Of Life. I rarely use retinol products so it dried my skin out initially. However, it did work well and I noticed a difference in the tightness of my skin after a month of twice daily use. This serum was also a great deal as I purchased a set of three for twenty dollars making it buy two get one free.

As you can see, December was a wildly successful month of beauty finishes. Now, here’s to hoping the new year will be just as good. 😀 See you tomorrow in 2022!

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Dec20

Bath Bomb Blitz: Lush’s Shoot For The Stars Pt. 2 Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Lush’s Shoot For The Stars Pt. 2 Edition

Hi! This past week, I enjoyed a nice hot bath with the Shoot For The Stars bath bomb from Lush compliments of my beautiful best friend’s Christmas gift. Kate of Live In The Nautical knows me so well because Lush products are my favorite and it has been a long while since I have used a bath bomb from there. If I could, I would use one every day!

This is a bath bomb that has actually been discussed already on lifewithlilred. However, I have much better pictures this time thanks to my new phone so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to showcase the Starry Night magic one more time. Check it out:

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What I love the most about bath bombs from Lush is that, no matter what, they put on a great show. As soon as the Shoot For The Stars bomb hit the water, it sprung into action coloring the bath water a stunning cerulean dotted with twinkling stars. I loved seeing the swirling, twirling streaks of white, gold glitter, and navy blue and the water almost looked too pretty to even want to go in once the bath bomb fizzed out.

The Shoot For The Stars bath bomb lasted about five minutes before it was complete and the runaway stars fully dissolved after ten. For an extra dose of hydration, I rubbed the stars into my skin and my legs felt so moisturized even after shaving. Not to mention how freaking luxurious I felt soaking in my bath tub that looked worthy of a Van Gogh painting!

During a normal bubble bath, I am always fine with exiting the water fairly quickly. However, with this bath bomb I must have stayed in the tub for at least a half hour and even after a long soak I was still disappointed to lift the drain stopper. But, just because the water was gone doesn’t mean that the Shoot For The Stars surprises stopped. My skin felt soft and nourished and remained that way for several days after. Such a perfect way to get rid of dry, winter skin!

I rated this bath bomb with an eight out of ten stars during my last review. But, my opinion has changed and I will be awarding it with: ten out of ten stars. The Shoot For The Stars bath bomb is an amazing way to introduce yourself or giftees to Lush products and I would happily use it again… and again, and again. 😀

What is your favorite bath bomb from Lush? How do you like to pamper yourself? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec18

Face Mask Festivities: Holler And Glow Hangover SOS Sheet Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Holler And Glow Hangover SOS Sheet Mask Edition

Helloooo everyone and welcome to the final Face Mask Festivities post from my Target Haul! I have so enjoyed pampering myself with the masks I purchased – both the good and the bad. And, I hope that the next time you make a Target run, these reviews will point you in the right direction of which face masks to buy and the ones that you can skip on.

Today, we will be discussing the Hangover SOS sheet mask by Holler And Glow. I admit, that I probably should have used this one this past Sunday lol! Let’s get to it:

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^^^ Lol

I will be completely honest with all of you… The only reason that I bought this mask in the first place was for the pattern! The donuts look like little frogs and I think that it is the cutest thing. Unfortunately, this sheet mask was one that I should have acknowledged was adorable and moved on because it was not the best.

In terms of staying in place, the Hangover SOS sheet mask was okay. The top half was fine but the bottom half gave me some grief and I had to adjust it a considerable amount of times in its fifteen minute sitting period. I actually couldn’t wait to take it off for that reason so while I waited I was literally just counting down the minutes. As you can imagine, it was not the most relaxing face mask session.

The results of this mask were also below average. My skin felt nice after using it but it didn’t feel any more hydrated or nourished than when I complete my regular skin care routine. The Holler And Glow sheet mask costed me four dollars and, although it was a cute novelty mask, the buck pretty much stopped there. This is one that you can most definitely pass on. WHOMP WHOMP!

Despite more duds than winners in my face mask haul, I still had fun creating this Face Mask Festivities series. Now, fingers crossed that I will get lots of face mask stocking stuffers so that the pampering can continue into the new year!

Have you used the Holler And Glow brand before? What did you think of it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Dec17

Face Mask Festivities: Burt’s Bees Brightening Sheet Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Burt’s Bees Brightening Sheet Mask Edition

Howdy! We are nearing the end of the Face Mask Festivities posts from my Target Haul and I hope that they have proved useful to you as you purchase your last minute stocking stuffers for the holidays. I know that I have enjoyed the extra pampering! 😀

Today, we are going to be discussing the most expensive mask that I purchased – a brightening sheet mask by Burt’s Bees. I didn’t even know that this brand had face masks too and at five or so dollars, it felt like a splurge. I thought that this mask would work well considering its price but it ended up being one of my least favorite ones from my haul. Let’s discuss:

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^^^ Lol

While most of the masks that I bought were specifically for dry skin due to the cold, I never say no to some extra brightening and added the Burt’s Bees mask to my cart. I was really excited to try this mask because I had such high hopes for it and this probably left me even more disappointed with the results – or lack thereof.

I will start by saying that this mask stayed put on my face very well, which I was impressed by. It fit nice and snug and once it was on, there was minimal sliding off for the ten plus minutes of wearing it. Unfortunately, that’s about all that the Burt’s Bees Brightening mask had going for it. -_-

After removing the mask, I couldn’t wait to see how my skin looked and I noticed no visible differences. When it comes to judging the effectiveness of a mask, I hope to see my skin looking better than when I complete my normal skin care routine. While the mask did feel good, the results were pretty much nonexistent and is one that I wouldn’t buy again.

Five dollars is incredibly cheap for a face mask but the ones from Target that I was most impressed with were over a dollar less. You are not missing out by not buying this mask so five dollars saved is five dollars earned… You’re welcome! ❤ Haha, tune in tomorrow for the last face mask from my haul!

What are your thoughts on this mask if you have used it? What is your favorite drugstore brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec15

Face Mask Festivities: Yes To Tomatoes Anti-Pollution Bubbling Sheet Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Yes To Tomatoes Anti-Pollution Bubbling Sheet Mask Edition

Howdy and welcome to a new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to be discussing an absolute delight of a sheet mask from my Target haul. The Yes To Tomatoes Anti-Pollution Bubbling Sheet Mask had it all and my only regret is that I didn’t buy five more of them! If you are a lover of charcoal skin care products, like myself, then have I got a face mask for you:

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If you have read my Face Mask Festivities posts before, then you will know that I am not incredibly partial to most sheet masks. I find it SO annoying how they never stay put on your face once you put them on! From the jump, I was impressed by this bubbling sheet mask because once I applied it, it didn’t budge on my face for the entire fifteen minutes I had it on. GREAT SUCCESS!

As soon as this mask was on, it began bubbling and fizzing as if I just opened a bottle of champagne. Within five minutes, the mask was full of bubbly bliss and I loved hearing the noises that it made. I have never used a bubbling sheet mask before and it was such a unique experience that I definitely want to have again.

While my face mask sat, I could literally feel it working to get all of the grime out of my skin. Recently, I began using an oil serum that I was gifted with. Now, normally, I shy away from oil based products but I figured that the extra hydration boost during the winter couldn’t hurt. Although my skin feels ultra nourished from it, the serum has clogged my pores and I was hoping that this mask would help.

And, help it did! The Yes To Tomatoes Bubbling Sheet Mask gave my skin the ultimate deep clean that was so invigorating and left my skin feeling tingly with an icy blast. My skin looked much more radiant and healthy and it was as if my pores were never even clogged in the first place. I couldn’t believe it!

This mask costed about four dollars and I have never been so pleased with a drugstore product before. For four bucks, I felt like I got a spa treatment and I cannot recommend it enough. Next time I am at Target, I will be buying several more of this mask because I am already chomping at the bit to use it again!

Have you ever used the Yes To products before? What did you think of them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec13

Face Mask Festivities: Avatara Drink Up Sheet Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Avatara Drink Up Sheet Mask Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Face Mask Festivities! I have been diligently working through the face masks that I got during a recent Target haul and, today, we will be discussing the Drink Up sheet mask by Avatara. This sheet mask was about four dollars and it was pretty good – not the best but definitely not the worst. Take a look at some pics and let’s get to it:

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^^^ Lol, you guys know I love my sheet mask pictures! So silly smh. 😀

I decided to test this mask out after a long day at work for some much needed relaxation. I was exhausted and freaking freezing all day so I was very much looking forward to getting home, putting on my PJs, and slipping into the Avatara sheet mask. Like all sheet masks, this one was kind of a pain to put on. However, it stayed put much better than any that I have tried recently, which was nice.

As soon as I put a sheet mask on, Johnny and I are in hysterics because it just looks so funny. Then, we always end up quoting Silence Of The Lambs and laughing even more lol. For the twenty plus minutes that this sheet mask was on, we probably cracked up over ten times! It might not have been the most relaxing time while my mask sat but it certainly was one of the most humorous. 🙂

After my twenty minutes was up and the mask was off, I was pleased enough with the results. My skin felt invigorated and smooth but it was no Que Bella gel mask, that’s for sure. I can’t say that my face felt super hydrated, which was the whole point of the mask so, in that regard, it was a bit disappointing.

The Avatara Drink Up sheet mask is one that you should skip on during your next Target run. For its price, it wasn’t bad, but there are definitely better inexpensive face masks on the market to get more bang for your buck. Whomp whomppp!

How do you unwind after a day at work? What type of face mask do you prefer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec9

Face Mask Festivities: Que Bella Recharge & Restore Gel Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Que Bella Recharge & Restore Gel Mask Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to be discussing a gel mask by Que Bella that I definitely plan on purchasing again. I so enjoyed using this mask for a multitude of reasons and consider it a steal for four dollars. Let’s get to it:

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This Que Bella Recharge & Restore gel mask had it all. First and foremost, it was pretty! I love, love, loved the glitter and the deep purple color and even if the mask didn’t work very well, it still would have earned brownie points for that reason alone. For fifteen minutes, I felt like the weirdest looking fairy princess ever with all that sparkle! 😀

Not only was this mask obviously really visually pleasing to me but it worked great too lol. I used it when I woke up in the morning and could tell that it had caffeine in it because I felt wide awake after washing it off! My skin looked and felt rejuvenated and also tingly in the best way possible. The charcoal powder also eliminated the blackheads near my piercings which is always nice.

I wasn’t expecting much out of this mask for its price and was so pleasantly surprised by it. I would happily use it again and plan on buying other Que Bella masks on my next Target run. I highly recommend it and the masks would also make great stocking stuffers! *Hint hint* 🙂

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