Tag Archives: style

Whatever’s Clever COTD

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Whatever’s Clever COTD

Hello! This past Friday we jam packed an entire weekend into one night because I got my Covid shot earlier in the day and knew I would be down for the count for the rest of the weekend. Johnny and I had a super fun time meeting my sister and sweet nieces for a community Halloween event and then it was off to the Factory Of Terror for a fabulously scary time. As we were in for an evening of spooky season festivities, I decided to get dressed up to surprise my nieces and show out at the haunted house. I didn’t want to bust out my sexy pirate costume for a family event so I just pieced together a few odds and ends for a devilishly good makeshift COTD. Check it out:

Skeleton Bodysuit: Tipsy Elves

Coated Skinny Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Devil Platforms: Dolls Kill

Devil Horns: We got these from a vendor at the AC/DC concert!

Ombre Wig: Spirit Halloween

I think the cross earrings were from Target!

My Halloween costumes always err on the side of sexy and that was so not the route I wanted to take for my night out. With limited not saucy costume pieces to pick from, I decided on simply pairing my skeleton bodysuit from Tipsy Elves with a pair of coated skinnies. Originally, this bodysuit was worn with a super mini red tutu but I didn’t want my assets hanging out for all to see lol! In theory, my little Tipsy Elves number is great. It kept me fully covered and offered some spooky flare. In practice? Not so much as I definitely got stuck in the bathroom at the community Trick or Treat SMH. Read more about that during tomorrow’s Blooper Reel! Where was I? Oh yeah…

So, the bodysuit and jeans were exactly what I needed to feel dressed up without going all out and the rest of my look was up to accessories. Does a skeleton bodysuit and devil horns and platforms go together? Not necessarily! But, hey, anything goes on Halloween and I had to work with what I had at home. To keep things feeling costumey, I used my dynamite devil platforms from Dolls Kill. I could have paired this look with my vertebrae platforms also from Dolls Kill. However, those were very tall and probably wouldn’t have been the best to stomp around in at a haunted house. The devil heels were much more compact in their height and I already planned on wearing the devil horns so whatever’s clever! 😀

Next on the agenda was hair and finishing touches. Rather than bother with doing something funky with my own hair, I decided to wear the curly ombre wig I got for my pirate costume. These luscious red locks were SO fire and I think it really helped tie the look together. You guys have no idea how weird it felt having that much hair! My AC/DC devil horns perched atop my new mane beautifully and gave a fun nod to vintage Halloween vibes. With that, I popped on a pair of cross earrings and was ready to go in my makeshift COTD. 🙂

Whatever’s Clever was the name of the game for this COTD and I honestly love how it turned out. Also major ups to everyone who called me a baddie that evening – mama loves you!! xxxx

Have you thrown together a Halloween costume before? How did it turn out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

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Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Hello! Halloween is just around the corner! Are you ready? I sure am! In fact, I’ve been ready since last Halloween. 😀 It goes without saying that everything is SO. Freaking. Expensive nowadays and I completely understand not wanting to shell out for a costume if you are attending a party or an evening at the bars. As much as I love spooky season, I’m genuinely bitter by how expensive my own costume was. If you want to dress up on a budget, there are still plenty of options for you to show out in your Halloween best. Let’s explore a few last minute, budget friendly costumes that you can make with pieces you probably already own:

If you’re like me, you are an early bird holiday shopper. Or, you might also be like me and love to online shop period! What does online shopping mean? Lots of boxes! Perfect for jerryrigging a robot costume. With a few boxes and spray paint, you’re in business for a classic robot fit. Simply pair your creation with a black long sleeved shirt and black jeans for underneath and viola. Just don’t try and take over the world when you’re wearing it! 😉

If you have a pair of boyfriend or baggy jeans and an old flannel, look no further. A scarecrow costume is the one for you! Bonus points if you have a straw hat but that could easily be found marked down in store for summer clearance or at a costume shop. You could even attach a few decorative crows or birds from a craft shop to your shoulder. You will need some patchwork makeup to sell this look so opt for bright oranges and yellows for this to make it pop. How easy is that?

Love wearing the color red? Love it! If you have a pair of red jeans, a red top, and some funky red shoes or heels – turn this into a devilishly good COTD. Hit up Spirit Halloween for a pair of devil horns and a tail or staff if you’d like and your costume is good to go. This can also be done with an All Black Everything motif!

A few years ago I had absolutely no time to costume shop but still wanted to dress up, of course. So, I decided to dress up as my husband! After raiding his wardrobe, I came up with a COTD that was a huge hit and was so proud of the reaction I got for such a scrambled costume. This is a fun idea for couples, besties, or siblings so have a wardrobe swap and you’ve got a costume without spending a dime.

If you have a fancy suit or still own your prom dress or perhaps a bridesmaid dress – be king or queen for the day prom style. You can even make it scary by going as the Carrie version of prom king or queen! Complete the look with a crown and sash and you have my vote for Best Costume. This is your time to shine if you have kept your prom relics so break it out again for the one time!

If you have a majority of the pieces for these ideas, it will cost you roughly twenty to twenty-five dollars to purchase the remaining accessories you need, makeup, or spray paint. Make these last minute costumes your own and no one will be the wiser that you balled on a budget to create them!

What was your favorite Halloween costume you have worn? What are your Halloween plans? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Suspect Looks Like OOTD Bloopers

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Suspect Looks Like OOTD Bloopers

Howdy everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Suspect Looks Like OOTD! This look was inspired by a comment that I hold very close to my heart that I look like a “Great Value Hayley Williams”. Lol – Hey, she’s beautiful but maybe she looks like a Great Value Lil Red?! I kid, I kid! As that comment was so funny to me, I just had to use it for a Suspect Looks Like video on my TikTok that featured a fit with Hayley Williams vibes. Leave it to me to find the FUN in a comment that was meant to be mean. I took it as a compliment! Peep the bloopers and let’s have a laugh:

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Room lol. It’s just so damn funny and I love making people who haven’t seen it before watch it. Last year, Johnny and I were lucky enough to go to a screening that was hosted by Greg Sestero, AKA Mark. It was so amazing to meet Greg and we even got to read lines from the script of The Room together! This past weekend we were supposed to go to another screening of The Room that Greg would be at and unfortunately the plans fell through. Johnny got his flu, Covid, and RSV shot on Friday and felt worse for the wear all weekend long.

I was SO disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to see Greg again but I did end up getting the next best thing. He replied to my comment on one of his Facebook posts! I like to think he remembered me and Johnny as I messaged him after last year’s event and he replied to that too. What an angel! Check out this hilarious interaction:

LOL when I tell you guys I geeked and fan girled so hard you have NO idea. Greg is always posting the funniest stuff on his social media and replying to fans with hilarious The Room related comments. To be the recipient of one of them was such a gift and I was genuinely shocked when he replied right away. Greg is a true class act and is so genuine. After meeting him IRL, it’s perfectly clear that he loves what he does and really enjoys meeting enthusiasts of one of the best worst movies ever made. We might not have made it to the screening but this made my life! ❤

Big ups to Greg Sestero for taking the time to reply to little old me. When a door shuts, Greg opens a window or however that saying goes!

Have you ever had any celebrity interactions on social media? Have you been to a screening of The Room before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Suspect Looks Like OOTD

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Suspect Looks Like OOTD

Howdy! It is a very rare occasion that I follow TikTok trends but I just had to make a “suspect looks like” video. Once upon a time, some ahole commented on one of my Facebook posts and called me a “Great Value Hayley Williams”. Lol it was both the nicest and meanest thing anyone has ever said to me! I get told at least once a week that she is my celebrity look alike and I am SO not complaining because Hayley Williams is a goddess. Feeling inspired by the comment that will forever make me laugh, I decided to style an OOTD in honor of my doppelgänger. Check it out:

Tank Top: Rachel Zoe, TJMaxx

Plaid Skinnies: Wild Fable, Target

Loafers: Steve Madden, Walmart

The dagger earrings were purchased on vacation in the Poconos!

It can be so easy for an outfit to look like a costume when you are emulating a celebrity’s style. To avoid this, I wanted to capture the essence of Hayley Williams while still feeling like myself and decided on a simple punk OOTD. It gave Hayley Williams vibes but was completely Lil Red and I loved how it turned out! To start this look, I began right in the middle because I had the perfect pantaloons to wear: A yellow and black plaid pair of skinnies by Wild Fable. These are such a classic punk staple and as I wanted to keep this outfit simple, all I needed to do was pair it with a black tank top. Rather than really play into the punk aesthetic with mesh or clashing patterns, I chose pieces that were more clean and fresh to allow myself to be me and not a Paramore fan girl. (Also – *Gasp!* I’m not really a Paramore fan to begin with!)

This outfit really did style itself in under five minutes because shoes and accessories were a no brainer. My funky Steve Madden loafers with a lime green wedge were exactly what I needed! That pop of green added so much fun to this look and gave a fashion forward nod to huge punk wedge loafers. As my patchwork tattoos on my arms, chest, and neck were at the forefront, all that was left was to pop on a pair of edgy dagger earrings. With that, I was ready to be on the run in my Great Value Hayley Williams OOTD!

If you are planning an outfit around your celebrity look alike, simple is the way to go. It will showcase your similarities even more!

Do you have a celebrity look alike? Which celebrity’s style inspires you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

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Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

Howdy! I absolutely love getting dressed up for Halloween and revel in styling costumes as much as any OOTD. Johnny and I do matching costumes and this doubles the fun! This year we were workshopping an Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl costume but decided against it as it would be one we would have to create on our own. Piecing together costumes can be pricey and we are really trying to save for a big vacation next year! We decided to keep it simple by being pirates and I REALLY like what we picked out. However, I do kind of wish that we kept with our original plan because our purchases at Spirit Halloween were CRAZY expensive. I genuinely think we could have done an ode to one of our favorite rockers for a similar price. That’s neither here nor there, though, because I know we are going to be the cutest pirates across the seven seas! Here is a sneak peek of my costume:

There was no shortage of pirate costumes at Spirit Halloween and I had a hard time choosing because they were all adorable! Whenever I ask Johnny’s opinion on which one he likes, he always errs on the side of sexy and he was right – the Wicked Pirate costume set was definitely the best of the bunch! It came with the top, bottoms, and head scarf and I was so pleased that it fit like a glove when I tried it on at home. If you are considering ordering online from Spirit Halloween or shopping there, their sizes are very true to the label. Although you might want to size up if you’d like a bit more wiggle room.

Of course the costumes at Spirit Halloween don’t come with any additional accessories and that simply wouldn’t do. If I am going to dress up, I’m going to do it right! However, the accessories and beauty departments were when things started getting really pricey. The first order of business was a wig because I wanted huge red curls and the Ombre option was exactly what I was looking for. Fake lashes were also a necessity because Halloween is the only time I wear them and the red and black lashes matched my color palette perfectly.

For accessories, I wasn’t feeling the headscarf my costume came with at all so I opted for a hat instead. There were a few different options to pick from that looked like a floppy hat but had buttons to make it a trifold. I was delighted to find one that had red accents when folded up and I think it will look stellar on top of the wig! I also had my heart set on an eye patch and surprisingly there were literally none except for the jeweled one. That was fine because I would have chosen it anyways – it is so freaking cool and provides a fun pop of bling. Speaking of bling, how great are those dangly earrings? I was a bit worried that I was over accessorizing but they will be tangled amidst the curls in the wig and won’t be a focal point.

My last purchase was a pair of thigh high socks which I liked much better than the fishnets seen on the costume packaging. I just thought they were cute and the chain decals look like the one on my costume’s top to tie it together from head to toe. Blessedly, I didn’t need to think about spending any more money on shoes because I plan on wearing my vertebrae heels from my wedding. Thank goodness! 😀

I am so excited to see this costume come together and can’t wait to show all of you the end result. Stay tuned!

Are you dressing up for Halloween? Where do you like to shop for costumes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Black & Red Glitter Nails

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New Black & Red Glitter Nails

Hello! This past Tuesday I was treated to a fabulous break time fill at Elysian Nails. It is always the best little midday pick me up and I was excited to get colors that would match my Halloween costume’s aesthetic. This year, Johnny and I are going to be pirates and recently purchased our costumes. Mine features a heaping dose of sexiness and a red, black, white, and gold motif. I had a general idea in my head for my nails but these colors are FIRE and completely exceeded my expectations! Check it out:

As red and black are my two favorite colors, it’s no surprise that that was the color combo I gravitated towards! The garnet glitter polish for my red selection was everything and reminds me of Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. They shimmer and shine like nobody’s business and I seriously can’t stop looking at them! I wanted to compliment the red with some black glitter polish but there was none to be had. So, my nail tech created her own with a gorgeous sparkle top coat. The shine provided was so intense it made me think of crushed diamonds and this combination is going to be absolutely perfect for my pirate costume!

I got a full set during my last appointment so my acrylics were in really good condition. They just needed shaped, sharpened, and a tiny repair or two and my pampering session was complete in forty-five minutes. It was a new record and it gave me time for my nails to fully dry before heading back to work! During my appointments, my tech and I catch up on all of the latest and greatest and love discussing documentaries, books, and anime. I recently started watching Death Note (It is AMAZING!) and was delighted to learn she did too. What are the odds of that?! I can’t wait to come back next month so we can delve further into the series, which will basically be us just fan girling about how good it is. 😀

Stay tuned for a sneak peek of my pirate costume coming soon. You will definitely agree that these fierce acrylics are the perfect match!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? What is your favorite way to pamper yourself? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Halloween Queen OOTD Bloopers

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Halloween Queen OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Halloween Queen OOTD! When you see my OOTDs for the first time, anything unsightly in the scenery has been removed. In the bloopers, however, I let it all hang out lol. When I was shooting this look, I didn’t realize that I was standing right by a freaking drain pipe and I’m genuinely unsure how I didn’t notice. It was staring me right in the face SMH! Take a look at these yikes shots starring the drain pipe and featuring Lil Red:

As you all know, Johnny and I have been completing the 31 scary movies in 31 days challenge for October. We take turns picking the movie of the day and I genuinely can’t wait to come home at the end of work to see what we’re going to watch next. While Johnny and I like to pride ourselves in our absolutely amazing taste in everything, there have definitely been movies in our selection that have actively sucked lol. For the most part, we can withstand a flick and say it was pretty good at the end. However, there have been two movies that are just WOOF with a capital W O O F.

Our most recent stinker was the original I Know What You Did Last Summer, as per Johnny’s choice. It has been SO long since I watched that movie at some slumber party or another so I had no qualms about rewatching it because I forgot everything lol. Also, the remake that was released over the summer was enjoyable so we figured it couldn’t be all bad. WRONG. Guys, wtf? The original sucked on ice. So much so that we talked the entire duration of the first half of the movie and promptly shut it off. I understand it’s somewhat of a cult classic but it was a total what happened for us! I promise, you’re much better off watching The Room. 😉

I regret to inform you that the selection that was the worst was my choice and mine alone. Even though I try to pin it on Johnny every chance I get! It was called We’re All Going To The World Fair and we watched it last year for our 31 for 31. It was so bad, so pointless, so incredibly stupid that I daresay I Know What You Did Last Summer was better and that’s really saying something. Because Johnny doesn’t read my blog as he lives my blog, he will not know that I admitted guilt in picking this movie. So, yes, I will continue to put the blame *jokingly* on my main squeeze! ❤

These two movies were the biggest duds in the entirety of our 31 for 31 challenge. If you are participating too, please skip on these flicks and you can thank me when you watch something infinitely better. Literally anything will be!

What is the worst movie you have ever seen? What is your favorite cult classic movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Halloween Queen OOTD

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Halloween Queen OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Spooky season is my happiest time of the year and Johnny and I actually got our Halloween costumes this past weekend. We were originally planning on Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl but decided to postpone that. Building a costume from scratch can be pricey as last year’s COTD proved and we are saving up for a big trip next year. We decided to go with matching pirate costumes instead and honestly the joke was on us. Spirit Halloween was so expensive that I think we could have gone with our Plan A for around the same amount SMH. You can peep a costume preview soon but take a look at what I wore to get our shopping on. Spooky shopping calls for a Halloween Queen OOTD:

Pumpkin Pullover: Better/Together, TJMaxx

Spooky Leggings: Marc’s (These were only a dollar fifty!!!!)

Heeled Combat Boots: Forever 21

Dagger Earrings: These were purchased on vacation in the Poconos!

Other than going to work looking like a stone cold bum, I very rarely go out on the weekends dressing for comfort. Weekends are OOTD time so I like to break out all of the good stuff for those occasions. However, I simply couldn’t resist wearing this Spooky/Comfy/Cute fit to go shopping at Spirit Halloween because it just fit the situation so perfectly. Hey, if the broom fits – fly it! Or however that old saying goes. 😀 Not only was this an ideal OOTD for our outing but it was also just right for cuddling up in to watch scary movies afterwards as per our 31 in 31 days challenge!

This outfit has actually been in my mind for a while. In my neck of the woods, there is a popular discount store called Marc’s and every year I eagerly await when their Halloween goodies arrive. You can get awesome decorations on the cheap and I am all about that! During this year’s haul, I found the adorable skeleton and pumpkin adorned leggings for pocket change. Yes, you did read that right above – they were only a dollar fifty!! These little babies are SO damn comfortable and fit like a glove. I was expecting something so cheap to only be so so but these exceeded my expectations and I just love them!

When I added the leggings to the cart, the rest of an OOTD with them came to me in a vision. Obviously, we had to keep with the theme and I paired it with my pumpkin pullover by Better/Together. These pieces were definitely better together because it ended up looking like a paired set! For shoes, a stark white pair of heeled combat boots were the move and they provided a bright pop that I loved. With a fairly loud outfit in terms of patterns, all that was left to do was add a gorgeous pair of dagger earrings and I was ready to go costume shopping with my main squeeze. ❤

If this little OOTD had me feeling like a Halloween Queen, you can only imagine how I feel in my pirate costume. I can’t wait for all of you to see it!

What was your favorite Halloween costume? Are you going to dress up this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Deja Vu OOTD Bloopers

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Deja Vu OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Deja Vu OOTD! This outfit was worn way back in 2021 and was actually the very first OOTD that Johnny shot for me. He has taken the pictures for almost every outfit you have seen since and he is the very definition of a blog husband! He may jokingly complain every time he takes said photos but he knows I appreciate it so very much. ❤ His favorite thing? Catching all of these yikes moments because he told me he got several “good” ones from this shoot lol. Check it out:

Johnny and I absolutely love taking our biggest niece on Treat Days and went on an outing with her this past weekend. A Treat Day is when we go get Chipotle, maybe do a bit of shopping, and go somewhere fun in the community and it’s a delight. Our niece’s request for her big day was to go to one of her favorite places: Urban Air. For those of you who aren’t hip, Urban Air is an indoor trampoline park and it’s a ton of fun! Well… Maybe for five to ten minutes, anyways. Then, it is downright painful lol.

My husband and I are elder emos through and through and we were definitely feeling it at Urban Air. I’m thirty-one and Johnny is thirty-six and chasing after a six year old in a trampoline park had us fighting for our lives! I can’t tell you how many times I got stuck in the massive ball pit and when I managed to get myself out, I was hoisting myself onto the ground like a person lost at sea for a year. Johnny, on the other hand, was pulling some amazing American Ninja Warrior moves by tackling the monkey bars like it was nothing. It was really impressive!

I hate to brag, but I did much better on the trampolines! There is nothing like a good bounce on a trampoline and it’s honestly such a treat. When I was little, my mom never let me and my siblings go on trampolines and I can count on less than five fingers the amount of times I’ve been on one. Bouncing to the stars with my niece was a joy and in her own words “it’s like we’re in outer space”. After five minutes on the trampolines Johnny tapped out but I think best girl and I could have hung out there all evening!

We may be elder emos but Johnny and I can still hang. For the most part because we were SO sore the following day!

What was your favorite childhood game? When do you really feel your age? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Deja Vu OOTD

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Deja Vu OOTD

Hello! I couldn’t wait to take OOTD pictures after getting my hair done and I knew exactly what I wanted to wear. Normally when I shoot outfits, I want to style something brand new every time. However, I had a perfect outfit to show off my new do that had already been worn way back in 2021! Regardless of the deja vu of shooting it again, I didn’t care one bit because I felt like a star. This look is also a really good visual for mixing and matching patterns by pulling from the same color palette and pairing one bold pattern with a minimal one. Check it out:

Striped Sweater: Cynthia Rowley, TJMaxx

Plaid High Rise Skinnies: Sound & Style, TJMaxx

Plaid Platforms: Dolls Kill

Sparkle Earrings: SugarFix By BaubleBar, Target

There are some outfits that you just feel SO good in and this is the one for me. In the original post, my sister told me I looked like a Bratz doll when I wore it and that compliment has stayed with me. 1) They were my absolute favorites growing up. And 2) Who doesn’t want to be a Bratz girl?! This look is quirky and demands confidence to pull it off and I found myself not walking but STRUTTING when I wore it this past weekend. As I mentioned above, I felt like a star in this look and received star treatment at my go to gas station…

I always say that if you’re feeling low, get yourself dolled up and hit up your local gas station. You have the Lil Red Guarantee that you will be complimented so much that your spirits will be lifted. That was very much the case when I went to the Mapco up the road to get some of my beloved Diet Coke. I kid you not, every single person complimented me and I even got free Skittles from the cashiers lol. NICE! I was literally on cloud nine for the rest of the day.

It felt amazing to have this look be appreciated because it is loud, bold, and might not be everyone’s cup of tea. The thing is, is that I felt great in it and it showed. As the old saying goes, don’t let the clothes wear you and it’s so true. When your natural confidence shines, you could be wearing the craziest OOTD or a potato sack and it would still work. So wear what you like and wear what you want because when your fabulous self shows out like the king or queen you are, everyone is going to notice. Embrace your inner and outer beauty and don’t apologize for it. It will transform any outfit into a runway moment!

This is my “I’m a star, damnit” OOTD and I loved every minute of wearing it. This is your sign to go for it if you are questioning an outfit choice. I promise that you look fierce AF!

What is an outfit that makes you feel amazing? What makes you feel confident? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah