Tag Archives: swimsuit

Jul17

Beach Bombshell OOTD

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Beach Bombshell OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Or, rather, welcome to some pictures of me in a bikini lol. In one of my favorite shows, Superstore, one of the characters claims that bikinis and Halloween costumes are the same thing. You wear them every year until they’re threads and then get a new one. I can confirm that to be true, in regards to the bikini part anyways, because the one you are about to see is probably over a decade old at this point. However, it’s one of the only ones I have so that was good enough for me when Johnny and I went to Geneva On The Lake! Check it out:

^^^ You can peep more from this look on my TikTok @lilred6794 !!

As I was saying, I purchased this bikini a long time ago. In fact, I was still working retail at PacSun when I got it which means I was around nineteen at the time. I still remember it. My coworker went to Victoria’s Secret on her break, bought the exact same bikini you see above for her vacation, showed it to me when she returned, and I fell in love. As a bustier gal, it can be hard to find a suit that is supportive enough and my mind was blown when she told me that the tops went by bra size as opposed to Small, Medium, and Large. It was exactly what I needed and I went on my break and followed (swim)suit by getting the same one lol. Total poser, yes, but I just couldn’t resist because this was the best fitting bikini I have ever tried on and that still remains to be true.

It’s not like I haven’t bought other swimsuits in the twelve or so years since I got this bikini. I just can’t seem to part with it though because it still fits and it’s still cute AF! The bustier top, the sweet and sunny pastel hues, and the sassy strap sides on the bottoms are truly a match made in fun in the sun heaven. And the thing is, regardless of the age of this suit, it really hasn’t been worn all that much for two reasons. 1) As a very pale gal, beach and lake situations aren’t my bag because I burn so easily. As I write this, it has been ten days since visiting Geneva On The Lake and I am still peeling constantly. And 2) I refuse to get my hair wet to increase the longevity of my colorfully dyed hair. In the twelve plus years of having this bikini, I’ve probably only worn it twenty times and even that feels like an exaggeration. Here’s to another twelve years of my Beach Bombshell bikini because I fear I well never find one as good as this!

My beloved Victoria’s Secret swimsuit is blessedly not in threads yet and fingers crossed that it stays that way for forever!

Do you have any super old clothes in your wardrobe? How do you keep them looking brand new? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul15

Bathing Beauty OOTD Bloopers

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Bathing Beauty OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Bathing Beauty OOTD! The fashion gods smiled on yours truly when I found my new swimsuit at TJMaxx. It’s crazy because even though I’ll only wear it a handful of times this summer, it is probably one of my favorite purchases of 2023. This buy was a decade late and although I plan on holding onto my Victoria’s Secret bikini for when I’m feeling saucy, I am more than okay with retiring it for now! I couldn’t wait to go to the pool to show off in my new suit and, obviously, I was looking my absolute best:

Howdy, partners

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Looking terrified and for good reason – your favorite vampire doesn’t venture into the sun too often!

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I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Please, sir, can I have my phone?

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That face you make when you find out you’re out of storage on your phone 😮

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The no toe monster is gonna get ya

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Johnny always captures my essence beautifully

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As most of you know, I have a quirk about me and that is that I refuse to get my hair wet. After about a decade or so of training my hair, I only get it washed when it is being dyed every ten to twelve weeks. The reasoning for this is simple: No washing keeps my hair looking freshly dyed longer and that is a sacrifice that I am more than willing to make. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I actually swam or washed my own hair in the shower.

You guys have no idea how much I would like to take a dip in the pool, but chlorine is something that I am not willing to put my hair through. So, I’m taking a stand. Oh yes, because I plan on buying a shower or swim cap lol. Will it look dorky? Of course. Do I care? Absolutely NOT! If sporting a shower cap is something that will make me feel comfortable taking a real swim, then it is one thousand percent worth it.

Johnny and I have formulated a plan and he is so much like me. We will both be taking a swim – me in my swim cap and him getting his hair wet. His hair needs redyed by his beloved in house stylist and if that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t get his hair wet either. Before I freshen up his box dye black, we will be hitting the pool and I’m excited!! We have never gone swimming together and we have each found a solution to our high maintenance hair attitudes that works for us. Johnny really does get me like no one else! ❤

You can catch me and Johnny at the pool looking fresh to death and I’m sure there will be some pictures so keep it locked. The world isn’t ready for shower cap Bathing Beauty Lil Red!

What is a quirk about you? Do you mind getting your hair wet? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul14

Bathing Beauty OOTD

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Bathing Beauty OOTD

Hello!!! After years (and I mean a literal decade) of having the same swimsuit, I finally found a new one during my last TJMaxx shopping trip. This find was a happy accident because the only reason that I looked at the picked over bathing suits was to say I tried. I never expected to find a swimsuit that was absolutely perfect for me, but here we are having an OOTD about it. I couldn’t wait to hit the pool to show off and, of course, take some pictures! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

One Piece Swimsuit: Gottex, TJMaxx

Wedge Heels: Charles By Charles David, TJMaxx

Sun Hat: Nicole Marciano, TJMaxx

Sunglasses: Circus By Sam Edelman, TJMaxx

I have a very expansive clothes, shoes, and accessories collection and bathing suits have never been included in that for a few reasons. 1) I don’t go to the pool too often so my old Victoria’s Secret suit always worked for me. 2) The suits I liked online were expensive. 3) I didn’t want the same swimsuit as anyone else if I were to purchase one in store. So, I just didn’t really bother and I was fine with that.

The swimsuits that I loved online all tended to have a vintage vibe with adorable skirts, ruffles, and patterns. However, I wasn’t about to spend over one hundred dollars for it and I resigned myself with the knowledge that finding something similar in store wouldn’t happen. I was beyond surprised to eat my words when I found my Gottex suit at TJMaxx because it had everything that I required. 1) It had a bra style top and thick supportive straps. 2) It was my favorite color. 3) It had that vintage feel that I wanted.

Trying it on in the fitting room was a nerve wracking experience because I was SO worried that it wouldn’t fit and it was the only one on the rack. After slipping it on and having GREAT SUCCESS, a million ideas to accessorize it began to form. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve for future pool shoots, but the look you see above is the first thing that came to mind. It turned out exactly how I pictured and Johnny told me I looked like Betty Boop so it doesn’t get better than that! 😀

For my Bathing Beauty OOTD, I started with my sun hat selection. Although I could have paired it with a black floppy hat for more cohesion, I decided against it. All of my black hats are felt and while that is great for fall looks, it just doesn’t say summer. I was already thinking of my “Bonjour” sun hat by Nicole Marciano and I stuck with it. Although it didn’t fully match the suit, I thought it still worked really well as the straw hue played beautifully against the white, purple, and turquoise detailing at the top of the suit.

My shoe selection was an easy choice to make and I went with my wedge sandals by Charles By Charles David. These wedges are fantastic for a trip to the pool and they are so comfortable. I could walk for forever in them! They also brought further cohesion from the top down with the sun hat I chose and the straw and cork wedge of the heel. Finally, one is never complete for going to the pool without a gigantic pair of sunnies. I put on my octagonal pair by Sam Edelman and I was ready to WERK!

I felt like a movie star lounging by the pool in my Bathing Beauty OOTD and I can’t wait to go again ASAP. Keep it posted for bloopers from this shoot as well as more pool looks coming soon!

How often do you buy a new swimsuit? Which era of style inspires you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun26

New Gottex Swimsuit

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New Gottex Swimsuit

Hello!!! As all of you know, I am a certified shopaholic. I pride myself on my own personal boutique room with a huge collection of clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, hats, skin care, and bath and body care. There has always been one thing missing from my wardrobe, however. That being, swimsuits. Every year when the pool opens at Timber Top, my sister mocks me for having the same swimsuit for almost a decade. But, in my defense, my Victoria’s Secret bikini still looks great and also bathing suit shopping sucks lol.

For years and years, I have avoided swimsuit shopping like the plague. My thought process being that I’d rather spend the money on something that I can wear anytime. I have seen bathing suits that I like online, but they are SO expensive. And, many of the options in store don’t have a bra style top which is what I need to feel comfortable. Rather than order suits that might not fit and spending time being disappointed in a fitting room, I turned my attention to other things in the store time and time again.

During my birthday gift card shopping spree at TJMaxx, I decided I would look through the swimsuit section just to say that I tried. I was not expecting to find anything as it was very picked over already. So, you can imagine my surprise when I found a one piece option that might work if luck was on my side. I am writing about it now so, clearly, the summer fashion gods were in my favor. Check it out:

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When I found this little number by Gottex hanging on the rack, I thought it was too good to be true. This one piece is in a style that I LOVE with the frilly skirt bottom, it was in my size, and there was a bra clasp on the inside of the suit for the top. I didn’t let myself get too excited because that would have really bummed me out if I tried it on and it didn’t work. I definitely had some anxiety going into the fitting room because I didn’t want to mentally go back to all of those times that I tried a suit on and it didn’t fit. Then, I mustered all of the courage that I had and slipped it on…

AND IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!! Oh my GAWD was I happy when the suit was on and it was everything that I was hoping it would be. The straps were thick and supportive, the bra top was perfect, the rouching on the tummy was flattering, and the skirt was cute as can be. I loved the way my body looked and I loved the way I felt even more. In fact, if I didn’t have a late afternoon shift after my shopping, I would have headed straight to the pool to show off!

I am so thrilled with this purchase and I feel very confident in my new suit. I have grand plans of a poolside OOTD complete with a sun hat, huge sunglasses, and sandals. And, now, I am officially ready to splash around in the pool with my nieces while frantically trying to not get my hair wet lol. This suit was originally one hundred and sixty dollars and I got it for forty – it was worth every penny and then some. You can’t put a price on feeling amazing in a swimsuit after almost a decade of bathing suit shopping abstinence!

TJMaxx came through for me during this shopping trip and I still can’t get over the fact that I found a swimsuit from there. My expectations were so low and now my confidence is sky high. I can’t wait to wear it!

What is your least favorite thing to shop for? What is your preferred bathing suit style? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May10

Beach Body Health Hacks

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Beach Body Health Hacks

Are you hoping to get slimmer and more slender in time for swimsuit season? If the answer is yes, then you are in the right place. The worst thing that you can do to slim down is start a crash diet. Sure, the weight will drop off quickly, but the moment you start eating normally again the weight will creep back on – you may even end up heavier than you were before.

The best thing to do when it comes to getting in better shape is putting your health first. Then, you should start to see your body changing and becoming stronger and leaner. Want to feel shiny and new for the first summer outing by the pool? Then take note of the health hacks below, implement them in your daily life, and you will see results – that’s a promise!

Start Each Day With Yoga or Pilates: Not only are both yoga and Pilates great ways to tone up, but they are also very good for your mental health. The types of meditation-based exercises that both Pilates and yoga offer incorporate gentle stretching to calming music. This helps to improve your flexibility and increase your muscle tone, as well as helping to improve your mental health and stress levels. Remember, to be truly healthy; you need to be mentally healthy, as well.

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#nameste

Have a Glass of Water Before Every Meal: Water acts as a natural appetite suppressant, which means that if you drink a glass of it before each meal, you will consume fewer calories. Water also comes with many other benefits, from improving skin health and boosting your immune system to speeding up your metabolism and preventing fatigue. So, obviously,  it’s definitely something that you want to be drinking more of! Instead of buying filtered water from your local store, visit cleanairpurewater.com and look at the cost of having a water purification system fitted into your home. It might mean making an investment, but if you are serious about being healthier, it’s an investment that will pay for itself in the long run.

Quit Sugar: One of the best things that you can do for your health is to quit sugar. The fact is, is that processed sugars are extremely bad for our bodies. Processed sugars are linked to all sorts of issues, from premature aging to acne, as well as weight gain, of course. If you are serious about being healthier and getting slimmer, then quitting processed sugar is a must. You can eat natural sugars, such as fruit sugars and raw sugar, but not processed sugars.

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So good but so bad!

Start Having Breakfast: They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and they are right. Grabbing a cereal bar as you rush out of the door to work isn’t a suitable breakfast and could actually be harming your health, especially in terms of meeting your weight loss goals. A nutritious breakfast will give you the energy that you need to have a productive day and will stop you from snacking, which is an added bonus. Ideally, your breakfast should be a combination of protein, healthy fat, and carbohydrates. Something like poached eggs, avocado, and rye bread is ideal. It keeps you full and is quick and easy to make.

Don’t expect to feel different overnight but after a few weeks of utilizing the above hacks, you should start to feel much healthier and happier in yourself. Just in time for swimsuit season! Score.