Tag Archives: the body shop

Monday Update: Christmas Wish List Edition

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Monday Update: Christmas Wish List Edition

Heyyy everyone and happy Monday! Christmas is quickly approaching and you best believe that my wish list has been written! One would think that I’m relatively easy to shop for – but I’m far from it. I have such a distinctive taste in clothing/shoes/jewelry/literature/movies/everything else that I just need to go shopping for that kind of stuff on my own. So lucky for my family, I composed a list of exactly what I want for Christmas to keep things nice and easy for them. Let’s discuss:

Things that beautiful Sarah wants for Christmas (I really did put that on the list):

    Miscellaneous:

  • Cash money
  • An oil change (I felt like such a grown up writing this one!)

The Body Shop:

  • Vitamin C Skin Boost
  • Nutriganics or Vitamin E eye cream
  • Blusher beads Ref. #63691 (because god forbid someone gets me the wrong shade!) 😉

Target:

  • Cheap moisturizer (emphasis on cheap)
  • Cheap facial scrub (double emphasis on cheap)
  • Box of hair dye (a years worth would be nice!)
  • Covergirl Flamed Out mascara (in the darkest shade of black)
  • Rimmel London Scandal Eyes eyeliner (also in the darkest shade of black)

  Hot Topic:

  • New bellybutton rings (I’ve been wearing the same few pieces of jewelry since I got my bellybutton pierced SIX YEARS AGO…I think it’s time for an upgrade!)

Aerie:

  • New panties!!! (Hey, a girl has needs.)

Victoria’s Secret:

  • New Dream Angels demi bra (Hey, a girl has needs.) 😉

Now you guys are probably thinking, “that’s the most boring Christmas wish list ever”. And guess what, you’re right – it really is. BUT, almost everything that I wrote down are things that I use in my every day beauty routine so it would be nice to be restocked in all of those items. I would love to find a bunch of new clothes for me under the tree, but the fact of the matter is: no one gets my taste in style right so everything is going to end up getting returned anyways. That’s what the cash money is for – some to save and some to shop the after Christmas deals with!

What really killed my charming young at heart persona this year was writing down that I wanted an oil change for Christmas. Haha, but the Little Red Love Machine is going to be needing one soon and the literal last thing that I want to do is sit in a stupid car repair shop where I’ll be:

  • A) Reading old magazines
  • B) Getting low-balled by the mechanic who will more than likely tell me that everything and the kitchen sink is wrong with my car because I’m a clueless girl who doesn’t know otherwise. Well, I am. And this happened during my last oil change and I did NOT appreciate it!

So yes, an oil change that I don’t have to be there for would be fantastic. Dad, I’m talking to you on this one!! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Christmas Wish List Edition! What is on everyone’s wish list for the holiday that they’ll be celebrating this season? What was the best or worst gift that you’ve ever received? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

The Body Shop Black Friday Disappointment

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The Body Shop Black Friday Disappointment

Helloooo everyone and happy Black Friday! I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving doing whatever it is that you do. As I mentioned in a previous post, my mom and I love hitting up The Body Shop on Black Friday but unfortunately due to a raise in their prices, we’ll be staying home today. Let’s discuss:

For forever and always, The Body Shop has run their “3 for 30” deal but this year the price got jacked up to “3 for 36”. Not only did the promotion increase in price but so did the gift that you can purchase if you participate in the 3 for 36 deal. Instead of the usual $25 gift bag filled with product that you can buy, it is now $35. This increase in prices equals sixteen extra dollars that you will be spending at TBS if you decide to shop their sales.

Now, “sixteen extra dollars? That isn’t bad,” you might think and I guess maybe it isn’t. BUT STILL! For years and years I’ve looked forward to shopping the 3 for 30 deal so this raise in prices seems cruel and unusual. Have they not heard of the motto “if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it”? The 3 for 30 promo always seemed too good to be true and now it is just a figment of my imagination. Shameful.

In all reality, the deal is okay if you’re buying more expensive items BUT I’M STILL BITTER!! Their Black Friday promotion for 2015 is definitely not worth venturing out to the mall for. In my opinion, I’ll be better off shopping their deals online when they are running one of their beautiful “50% off site wide” promotions. I plan on waiting until the holiday season is over for a promo like that to happen so I can stock up on all of my necessities as opposed to doing so today.

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^^^ This basically sums up my feelings about the Black Friday promotion price increase. I’m boycotting!!

Please tell me that I’m not the only one who feels pissy about The Body Shop’s new Black Friday deal. PLEASE?! Who is going out shopping today? What store has the best deals? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: Early Christmas Shopping Edition

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Monday Update: Early Christmas Shopping Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Monday! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! The holidays are approaching quickly and because I’m a big fan of planning ahead, I’ve been doing a lot of my holiday shopping nice and early. I made my list of what to by and who to by for, checked it twice, and crossed off three people on my list already this past week! Let’s discuss:

Last year I did all of my shopping on Amazon and I plan on doing a vast majority of it on there again this year. However, thanks to some wonderful coupons and gift cards from Kohl’s and TJMaxx, I was able to knock out gifts for my sister and best friend. I can’t post what I got for them in case they read it, of course, but I can say that for both of them I purchased a gorgeous cloth decorative basket to fill with some of their favorite things. I’m excited to give my gifts to them because this year I went with items that I knew for a fact that both of them would love so there’s absolutely no way that they’re going to dislike anything and deem me a horrible gift giver!

It’s always fun to shop around and try something new that you think someone might like but it just causes so much anxiety! This year, I’m going for gifts that I’m 100% sure are going to be used and enjoyed by the people who I’m buying for. Believe me, the last thing that I want to do when Christmas rolls around is retreat back to the stores to return or exchange gifts that I went out on a limb to purchase with a hope that the receiver just might like it. This rings especially true for my sister, who is literally the hardest person ever to shop for! It’s not that she’s picky, she just knows what she likes and what she doesn’t so it was especially important to go with tried and true favorites for her!

I mentioned above that I did some shopping at Kohl’s and TJMaxx but I also did some purchasing at a few small businesses in Kent, as well. I think that it’s so very important to shop local when you can during the holiday season and in general so I was really pleased that I was able to find some nice presents from some fantastic little boutiques that are relatively close to me. Thanks to the fun downtown shopping area in Kent, which is close to where I coach figure skating for the Special Olympics, I was able to buy an add on to my sister’s gift basket and an amazing gift for my boyfriend. I wish that I could tell you what I got him so badly because it’s seriously the best gift ever and I got it for the best deal ever, as well – which you know is something that I always look out for! #ballinonabudget

I’m really glad that I knocked out some shopping last week because now I only have four people left to shop for and to me, that is so relieving! For these last few gifts I’ll probably stick with Amazon and other online shopping sites because I already have items from there in mind. Another big relief is that I won’t have to venture out into the craziness that is the mall or other shopping centers during the next few weeks because it’s much too overwhelming for me. When I went to Kohl’s and TJs they were both fairly crowded already but the local shops that I hit up were nice and vacant for the most part which made shopping so much more enjoyable…another benefit of shopping local!

As far as any hardcore Black Friday shopping goes this week, it’s strictly out of the question…sort of, anyways. The past two years my mom and I have went to the mall probably an hour or so before they close up for the day, and each year it’s been quite empty – so fingers crossed that it’s like that again this year for a threepeat! We go to the mall with one store to go to and one store only…The Body Shop! Each year TBS runs their three for thirty sale as well as an awesome gift for a great price that you can purchase, which is typically a cute tote filled with one hundred or more dollars worth of product. During the three for thirty sale we stock up on our more expensive necessities and end up saving a small fortune! It’s seriously the best, but if we don’t make it out to the mall this Friday then it’s okay because the deal runs throughout the entire holiday season. Our yearly tradition is fun though, so I hope that it will happen again this Black Friday!

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^^^ Lololololol, so true!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Early Christmas Shopping Edition! Who has gotten some holiday shopping done already? Who plans on going Black Friday shopping this week? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Retail Free Holiday Season

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A Retail Free Holiday Season

Helloooo everyone and happy Tuesday! Most of you guys know that before I started school I worked hella retail. My days were spent slaving away in PacSun, The Body Shop, Claire’s, Piercing Pagoda, and Next for what seemed like an eternity. This year, however, I’m so excited to not work a holiday season in the mall. After working five Black Fridays in a row – I am officially free from the evil clutches of the mall during the holidays! SCORE!

On Saturday, my sister and I took a trip to the mall so she could make a few returns and do some shopping. As soon as we entered the premises, we were greeted by Christmas music, decorations, and a mall that was jam packed for an early November evening. Seriously, just being in that environment gave me anxiety and as far as I was concerned, we couldn’t leave soon enough.

Being in the mall among all of the really early holiday shoppers who seemed to be just as crazy as the last minute gift grabbers reminded me how thankful I am that I can finally have a holiday season to enjoy with my friends and family. When I worked retail I can’t remember one holiday season that I genuinely enjoyed because I was too wrapped up in working crazy hours and dealing with insane customers. This year, I don’t have to worry about going into the mall on Thanksgiving day to work a thirteen hour Black Friday shift. I also don’t have to be at the mall late on Christmas Eve to tend to everyone’s final holiday needs and clean the trashed store to perfection. *sigh of relief*

When you’re working every minute of the months of November through January, you simply forget that those times are meant to be for your loved ones. The thing that I’m most looking forward to is actually having a Thanksgiving. For the past five years my Thanksgivings were spent counting down the hours till my Black Friday shift and trying to cram in some power naps before the insanity unfolded. This year I’ll be able to help cook, prepare the table, and spend quality time with my family and boyfriend. It’s going to feel so good but SO strange because I’m completely not used to relaxing during a holiday – what does that even mean?!

I’m so thankful for everything that my years of hard work provided me with before I started college. I was able to buy my car (Little Red Love Machine!), buy clothes, purchase gifts for others, and put money towards my tuition. But this year, I am so ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy a glorious Retail Free Holiday Season! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far! Have any of you worked retail during the holidays? Do you have any funny/traumatic moments to share? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: My traumatic story to share from a very retail holiday season doesn’t deal so much with me as it does an unfortunate Victoria’s Secret employee who got punched THREE YEARS IN A ROW during Black Friday. #threepeat

Monday Update: Liebster Award Edition

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Monday Update: Liebster Award Edition

Hiii everyone and happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! When I returned home from my boyfriend’s house yesterday afternoon I was so excited to see that I was nominated for the Liebster Award by my friend at A Maple Girl! It was such a pleasant surprise so I decided to make a Monday Update out of it! Here are my answers to all of the fun questions provided by A Maple Girl:

  1. Long nails or short? Long – although I’m currently wearing my nails natural and short at the moment. I had extremely long acrylics reminiscent of talons for over half a year but now I’m giving my real nails some recovery time before I get a new set on.
  2. Red lips or pink? Red!! Haha I would be nothing without my red lips and red hair!
  3. Favorite YouTube beauty Guru? I don’t really have one…I’m not a big YouTube watcher and I’m honestly so set in my every day makeup routine that I rarely switch it up.
  4. Favorite season of the year? AUTUMN!!!! I love the fall so much! Fall clothing is my favorite: cardigans, peacoats, fingerless gloves, hats, and cable knit sweaters – I love it all! I really want to get to a haunted house with my boyfriend soon! We actually might be going to Halloweekends at Cedar Point this upcoming weekend. 🙂
  5. First job? I worked as an actor at a haunted house, Carnival Of Horrors. I was fourteen or so and it was so much fun. I also got to do all of my own makeup which was a blast.
  6. If you could only use one makeup brand for the rest of your life, which would it be? The Body Shop, hands down. However, I would have to cheat and use NYX for my lipstick because their matte lippies are the best!!
  7. Dream vacation destination? This is an easy one – traveling through Europe!!
  8. Favorite book you’ve read recently? I just finished rereading one of my favorite books, Night Film, this past Friday. It’s so fantastic and is in production to be made into a film soon! I liked this book so much that I got one of the quotes, “Do I dare?”, tattooed on my inner left arm.
  9. Why did you start a blog? Lifewithlilred originally started strictly as a fashion blog because I had multiple people tell me daily that I should start one. I have a very unique personal style and I was flattered that people recognized that and liked it, so I figured “why not?” Now lifewithlilred is more of a lifestyle blog, covering everything from beauty and literature to silly ramblings and mental health.
  10. Celebrity crush? I have tons! Haha I love Johnny Depp, Jack White, Julian Casablancas, Britney Spears, and Gwen Stefani just to name a few! For more on my celebrity crushes you can tune in to lifewithlilred every Monday and Wednesday for my Man Crush Monday and Woman Crush Wednesday segments!

I nominate:

Here’s how the award works:

  1. Thank the person who nominated you.
  2. Provide a link back to their page.
  3. Copy and Paste the award to your blog
  4. Answer the questions set by the person who nominated you.
  5. Nominate 5 blogs with less than 500 followers
  6. Leave a comment on their blog to inform them of their nomination.

My questions for you are:

  1. What’s the one beauty item you couldn’t live without?
  2. Who are three of your favorite bands?
  3. The best gift you’ve ever received?
  4. The weirdest food you’ve ever ate?
  5. Favorite childhood movie?
  6. Your favorite pair of shoes?
  7. A story of the worst date you’ve ever been on?
  8. Favorite book?
  9. Do you have any pets?
  10. What is your favorite subject to blog about?

Once again, I’m so thrilled that I was nominated for the Liebster Award and had such a blast making this post. To those of you who want more of me, you can friend me on Facebook at Sarah Mushenheim, follow my page, or email me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com! How was everyone’s weekend? What is the weather like in your neck of the woods? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: Birthday Blues Edition -__-

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Monday Update: Birthday Blues Edition -__-

Heyyy everyone and happy Monday! So it was my 21st birthday yesterday and unfortunately I spent most of the day in bed crying. Despite having the worst birthday ever, there were still some really fun parts of my birthday week that deserve some recognition. On Thursday my beloved nail tech Vinny treated me to a beautiful new set of talons and a beyond generous Starbucks gift card. He also plans on taking me out for dinner and drinks sometime this week which is so sweet of him. My trip to the Toledo Zoo on Friday with my precious Lea was also a really wonderful way to celebrate – I just love her! We’re going out this evening for a night on the town too, so that should definitely help shake away the birthday blues of the major disappointment that was Saturday night and Sunday. The entire situation was just stupid as fuck and I’m not about to go into major details about it, but my night out left me feeling like I got a million birthday slaps in the face so it’s no wonder I spent most of my actual birthday bawling my eyes out. Whatever. Lots of my friends have texted and called me so they can take me out to dinner or drinks this week, so I guess that’s nice. Nothing is going to make my birthday night out any better but at least I’ll have a bunch of other plans to somewhat make up for it. And even though the night out and actual birthday was complete shit, I did get some totally gorgeous birthday gifts from my family and friends which was so sweet! Take a look at some of my fabulous new goodies:

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^^^ So sweet!!! There’s actually a really adorable story behind my Lil Red birdhouse decorated by my darling Lea: So one night during a crafting extravaganza, we thought that it would be super fun to paint some birdhouses as a switch up from our usual canvas art. We were both SO excited about this idea but as the night of painting continued we both became more and more disappointed with how our birdhouses were turning out. Lea’s looked really cute – mine looked like complete ASS, so I didn’t even bother taking it home. I told her the only way that my birdhouse would be acceptable was if it was black, red, and covered in glitter…and lo and behold, that was exactly how Lea decorated it as part of my gift. Not only did she craft me a birdhouse that’s perfect for Lil Red, but she also gave me a plethora of other thoughtful presents as well – a new Starbucks mug, a 21 drinking goblet, a minion shot glass, wine, and much more! Our entire day at the zoo was seriously a gift in itself, but my sweet girl went above and beyond in the gift giving department and It really did warm my heart! Do I have an amazing best friend or what?! My sister also got me a real winner of a gift as well – Carlos Santana lace up, knee high, wedged gladiator sandals. I’ve legitimately wanted a pair for over a year now and the pair Kristen picked out for me are simply perfect. I can’t wait to wear these bad boys all summer long with everything from dresses and maxi skirts to sassy little short shorts! So fierce. My one older brother Andrew gave me some cash money, which is great because I need to go renew my license which I know for a fact isn’t free! And then my other brother, Peter got me two tickets to see AWOLNATION on June 30th when they play at the House Of Blues in Cleveland! I CAN’T WAIT!!! It was exactly what I wanted, so mad props to him! I got a cornucopia of goodies from my parents – my Betsey Johnson telephone purse, a new dress from Urban Outfitters, moolah, and they restocked all of my makeup and skin care products that I use from The Body Shop. Everyone was so generous and I’m beyond thankful for all of the wonderful and thoughtful gifts – all of them are perfect!

When I think about all of the lovely individual hang outs I’ve had with my friends and family and all of the gorgeous 21st birthday gifts that I received it kind of makes up for the completely awful weekend I had – but only kind of. All of the gifts in the world doesn’t make my hurt feelings feel better and it definitely doesn’t take away any of the disappointment that I’m still feeling, but what can you do? I’m looking forward to all of the dinners and drinks this week with some of my favorite people, so hopefully after all of that merriment I’ll start getting over the literal worst birthday outing I’ve ever had in my life. #overdramatic #dontcare

I hope all of you are having a fabulous Monday so far! I regrettably must be off to go get some school work done and possibly take a nap! I’m so tired! But until then, how was everyone’s weekend? What are your plans for the week? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial

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Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial

Hello, hello everyone! So as you can see by my featured image photo, I’m going nude, au natural, bare faced – in other words makeup free to discuss my without fail facial! I worked as the assistant manager at The Body Shop for over half a year, and it taught me a lot about skin care and products. Now that my older sister is working there as my prodigy, it’s so fun to instill in her some Body Shop knowledge – and still get some awesome discounts on their products! Holla! Thanks to my vast knowledge on skin care, skin types, and everything in between, I’ve been known to give a mean facial at home to my sister and my mom. This past weekend I decided to treat myself (and my sissy!) to one of my fabulous facials to freshen up my skin and go bare faced for the world. If there’s one thing that I get complimented on a lot, it’s my creamy complexion. It’s very important to me to maintain my healthy pale glow, so constant skin care is a must. Here’s another pic of me going au natural, and then we’ll discuss some facial fun with a plethora of Body Shop products!

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^^^ My face is bare and I don’t care….too much anyways 😉 So I lined up all of my Body Shop products in the order that I use them for a Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial, take a look and then I’ll discuss each item! Please don’t mind my dirty bath tub!

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Step 1) Dampen skin with warm water and apply the Warming Mineral Clay Mask and let it sit for five minutes. I absolutely adore this product. The mask is made with ginger and a bunch of other good stuff and begins to warm as soon as it touches the skin. The warming sensation from the clay literally attacks your pores for a deep cleanse. After five minutes of having the mask on, almost all of the blackheads that live around my nostril piercings disappeared. Needless to say, I was a very happy camper about that! After your mask is done sitting, wet a cloth with warm water and gently wipe off your skin.

Step 2) It’s time to wash your face! You can use whatever cleanser you please, but I recommend that it’s a cream base rather than a gel to avoid drying out your skin. I used the Pomegranate Softening Facial Wash to give my skin a nice, gentle cleansing after my pores were stripped from the mask. Wash your face well so you remove any remaining clay and grime, and don’t pat yourself dry quite yet!

Step 3) This step will be different for everyone depending on their skin type. If you have “normal” skin, like myself you should be fine with using a facial scrub like the Tea Tree Squeaky Clean Scrub straight from the container. However, scrubs can be a bit harsh on acne prone skin, so if you do have acne I recommend mixing up the scrub with the Vitamin E Hydrating Toner just like how you would mix it with water before using on the skin. Using a moisturizing toner mixed with a somewhat harsh scrub should eliminate any unpleasant burning or stinging. If you have normal skin, apply the toner after you’re done with your scrub. Tea Tree products are specifically used for acne, but even if you don’t suffer from it, the scrub will leave your skin feeling exhilarated and your pores will be squeaky clean just as the name of the product says!

Step 4)  Apply a treatment. Now is a good time to apply topical acne cream if you use it. If not, I like to put on an eye cream as my treatment, like the Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream. The skin around the eyes is so sensitive and can dry out very easily, so it’s so important to keep the windows to your soul hydrated! There’s plenty of great eye creams at The Body Shop to choose from – I’m also particularly fond of the eye cream in the Vitamin E line as well!

Step 5) Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!!! Like the eye creams, The Body Shop has an abundance of excellent moisturizers to choose from. During my most recent facial I used their new Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturizer but any kind will do! Each line from Aloe to Vitamin E to Pomegranate has their own moisturizer – so it’s up to you to pick the best one for your skin type. I’m all about my skin having a radiant glow to it, so I’m simply thrilled that the Vitamin C line finally has a moisturizer!

Step 6) This step is optional, but I’m including it because it’s part of my skin care regime. To end a facial or my daily skin care routine I always apply the Vitamin C Skin Boost to tie everything together. This fantastic product gives an instant glow to your skin and leaves a lovely matte finish, which is the perfect way to complete a fresh face facial. Having smooth, matte skin is also a bonus if you plan on applying makeup afterwards, but I don’t recommend it – let your skin breathe!!

Next time you or your girlfriends need a night of pampering, make sure to follow my guide for the Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial! All of the products that I mentioned above can be purchased in stores or online at http://www.thebodyshop.com. Have a fabulous night and please make sure to check out my most recent article “Monday Update: Online Shopping, Lil Red Style” for some amazing pieces up for grabs! What’s your favorite product from The Body Shop? Do you have any questions about the products or steps? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Recommendations From Yours Truly ;)

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Recommendations From Yours Truly ;)

Helllooooooo everyone and happy almost weekend!!! I’ve had a really fabulous week doing a bunch of fun stuff that I’d love to share with you guys. Maybe these ideas will give you something fun to do this weekend! Let’s discuss!

Cook Your Favorite Meal: Honestly…this one is just for my own personal enjoyment…but everyone likes food so WHY NOT let it be a group effort? During the week I had a really lovely evening with myself preparing my personal favorite meal. For about six years now my mom has made this absolutely delicious pasta salad. It uses red pepper, red onions, sauteed zucchini, mozzarella cheese, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. (You can also add herbs of your choosing and spinach if you’d like!) I could eat this salad for breakfast, lunch, and dinner…well maybe not breakfast…but it’s THAT good…so breakfast? Sure, why not?! I used to really love cooking and I’m not really sure why I ever stopped. (Maybe because my mom’s food is so good! 😉 ) I thought it would be fun to try my hand at making my favorite dish for a change, and I’m so glad I did! I really enjoyed just hanging out with myself, playing some music, and preparing a meal that I know my entire family enjoys. And guess what?! It turned out great! You know how food that you make on your own somehow always tastes better than when other people cook it? That’s exactly the experience I had when I tried out my rendition of my beloved pasta salad. My dad told me that I’ll never starve now that I know how to make my favorite dish…and he’s absolutely right! Here’s a pic of how my pasta salad turned out, and if you’d like the recipe, please let me know!

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YUM!!!!! ^^^^^^

Make Some Candy: I had a glorious best friend afternoon today with my darling Lea, who you guys know all about! It’s very cold in Akron, Ohio (#REPRESENT) right now. Early this afternoon I heard on the news that it felt like -17 degrees outside. Lea and I were supposed to go sledding this afternoon, but when I heard about this drastic cold I thought “oh hell no!” So we opted for a nice, cozy day indoors cooking up some yummy treats. Once we were armed with Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, we began browsing through Pinterest, our activity destination. After ten minutes of scrolling through pages, we decided on making chocolate truffles. We raided the pantry for the we ingredients needed, then ventured back out in the cold to hit up the grocery story for what we didn’t have. The recipe was very easy to make, literally all you had to do was melt your chocolate and other ingredients together, put the chocolate in the freezer to let it stiffen, and then once the mixture is hard enough you roll them into balls and put whatever topping you would like on them. While our chocolate was melting and stiffening, we played Pentatonixs (or however you spell them), looked up the world’s largest body parts on Google Images, and hung out with Lea’s twin brother Bill. When the chocolates were stiff enough to shape them we had a silly time getting our hands dirty, because the chocolate was still gooey! We used peppermint candy that we crushed with a mallet, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips for the toppings on our truffles. They turned out so yummy! You can’t do much to mess up chocolate! 😉 Here’s a picture of us with our finished product! We’re just a bunch of regular ol’ chocolateers!

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Once again…YUM!!!! ^^^

Go See Unbroken: This week I had a lovely date night with my other partner in crime, Kate, who you guys also know all about! We went to see Unbroken, which tells the courageous tale of Louis Zamperini as directed by the stunning and gorgeous Angelina Jolie. In the film we see Zamperini, the Olympic track star survive a plane crash in World War II. Unfortunately he doesn’t land to safety in the crash and ends up stranded at sea with two other soldiers. (One of them happens to be Finn Wittrock, who plays Dandy on American Horror Story: Freak Show!) The sailing in the emergency rafts are anything but smooth, and our heroes end up in a Japanese prisoner of war camp and eventually concentration camps. Zamperini suffers under the hands of a sadistic camp leader, which are some particularly difficult scenes to watch. However, the story tells an amazing tale. The screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen was fantastic and the cinematography and sound effects in the film were truly awe inspiring. Not to mention my dream woman, Miss Jolie directed the film to perfection. The movie is quite long so I’d recommend peeing a lot before hand. Most importantly, the film really covers some heavy and disturbing issues which might not be suitable for everyone. Fun fact for ya, a man from Stow, Ohio had a few lines in Unbroken, which is a hop, skip, and a jump from where I’m at. So way to represent, Ohio, brother man!! If you’re looking for a powerful and extremely well made movie to go to this weekend, I can’t recommend seeing Unbroken enough!

Listen To Cayucas: I know, I know so typically PacSun-y of me, BUT I CAN’T HELP IT! I love these guys! They’re seriously so beachy fun and I just can’t even. My absolute favorite thing to do is play these guys while I’m taking a bubble bath or shower, because they make me feel like I’m just chilling on the beach with my little toesies in the sand. I’ve never been to the beach before (Lake Erie doesn’t count!) but this group of surfer dudes helps me make believe that I’m there. All of their songs off of their album “Bigfoot” are crowd pleasers, but my particular favorite song is “High School Lover”….and YES we did play it at PacSun, ha! This track is very fun though. It definitely will make you think about that one guy or gal in high school that you wanted to be with so desperately or maybe was the one who got away. A charming sentiment set to a soft surfer rock vibe? It’s a win win. (Soft surfer rock?…I believe I just created my own music genre right there!) 😉

Have A Facial Night: Earlier this week, my sister asked me to give her one of my famous around the house facials, which I happily obliged to. After working at The Body Shop, I developed a love for skincare that will last me a lifetime. Here’s my tried and true step by step guide on how to give a fabulous facial to yourself or a friend:

  • Remove any facial makeup with one of those terrific cleansing wipes from your brand of choice.
  • Wet the skin with lukewarm water and if you have a clay, honey and oat, warming ginger, blue corn, or any mask in particular that you like to use, apply and let it sit for the amount of time instructed.
  • Now it’s time to use a cleanser. If you have a bristle brush, I highly recommend using one of these to give your pores an even deeper clean. If you don’t have a brush, make sure you use circular motions with your hands while using your cleanser.
  • I like to finish the facial treatment with a scrub. If you happen to use a soft buffer pad I would recommend using a rough, gritty scrub. And if you’re a fan of a more cream based scrub I would opt for an exfoliating loofah pad.
  • (Apply a toner if you’d like. But I never do.)
  • After your skin is nice and squeaky clean apply any acne topical treatment you use if needed and a moisturizer.

All of those steps listed above may seem like a lot for the skin to handle all at once, but you have the Lil Red Guarantee that all it can do is help if you use these tips every once in a blue moon! Facials scream “girls night” to me, so plan a fun night of pampering and break out the wine, chocolate, and chick flicks!

Treat Yoself: Annnnnd if you’re looking for a few fun treats to pamper yourself with, here’s a few products from The Body Shop that I’ve been obsessed with lately, which can be found in stores and online at http://www.thebodyshop.com!

smooth-and-renew-loofah-pads_lvitamin-c-microdermabrasion_lwarming-mineral-mask_lglazed-apple-bath-jelly_lhoneymania-bubble-bath-melt_ltreatyoself_main01

Items shown from top to bottom:

  • Smooth and Renew Loofah Pads
  • Vitamin C Midrodermabrasion
  • Warming Mineral Mask
  • Glazed Apple Bath Jelly
  • Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt

So there you have it, my Little Red Recommends segment for the week! What are your weekend plans? What did you think about Unbroken? What band should I check out next? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great weekend! -Sarah

Lil Red Shopping Tips! Part 2!

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Lil Red Shopping Tips! Part 2!

My favorite place to buy my makeup and skin care is The Body Shop, hands down. My mom got me hooked on their products years ago, and then working there as an assistant manager deepened my love for their products even more. Everything that The Body Shop stands for as a company are things that I feel very passionately about, so it makes me feel good every time I shop with them. TBS lives on five principle values:

  • Against animal testing
  • Support community fair trade
  • Activate self esteem
  • Defend human rights
  • Protect the planet

At least one of these values are represented in everything sold at TBS. All of the products no matter what are non animal tested, which is SO very important to me. I refuse to buy anything with even a question of whether animals were tested on or not. The fact that I don’t have to play guessing games with my makeup and skincare is extremely relieving and refreshing. A lot of the ingredients used in each product typically comes from different third world countries, so we can help them promote their economy and provide better lives for the workers and their families. I like to think of everything I buy from TBS as a donation to a family in need, because all of these products are helping feed them or put a roof over their heads.

Now let’s talk about the best times to shop at TBS as far as deals go and some products! Honestly it’s a lot easier to shop online. The online promotions are usually way better than the ones run in store. Now a lot of people complain that The Body Shop is “too expensive”. But I’m here to tell you, that when shopped right – the prices are beyond reasonable. The best times to shop online are when the 40 or 50% off store wide sale is running. Whenever I get an email letting me know about this promo, I usually always stock up on all of my beauty must haves. And I’ll keep it real with you guys: I would NEVER buy these products if I didn’t know how to shop the deals, but when these promotions are running, you’re getting great quality product for the price of your drug store brand items. The best time to shop in store is without a doubt Black Friday and the week or so following it. The store always runs a 3 for $30 promotion, which is a great time to stock up on your more pricey items. Some of the heavy duty skin care at TBS ranges from about $30 to $36 dollars. If you stock up on these items during the 3 for $30 you’re essentially getting buy one get two free or even better if you buy the $36 dollar skin care! To add to the Black Friday fun, TBS always sells a super fun grab bag filled with awesome goodies. The bag is usually filled with at least $100 dollars worth of product, but they sell it for $25. You can’t beat that! One final great deal at TBS is their Love Your Body card. The LYB card sells for $10 dollars to get you started, but really it pays for itself because you get a $10 gift on your birthday. With the LYB card you save 10% with every purchase you make. For every $20 dollars you spend you earn a “point”. Rack up four points and you get a $15 dollar gift, and once you get eight points you get a $25 dollar gift and your card renews itself for free for another year. The best time to use these points is the month of your birthday. Then you can combine each gift for fifty dollars towards your purchase! Awesome!

If you read through my post about my makeup and skin care must haves, you’ll see that a vast majority of what I wrote about was from TBS. But allow me to dabble in talking about their product a little bit more. The Body Shop literally has everything. Ranging from skin care, makeup, hair care, product for men, lotions, perfumes, shower gels, gift sets, and home care such as candles, oil burners, and reed diffusers. TBS is widely known for their body butter. Each butter is made with a base of either cocoa or shea butter for heavy moisturizing. The butter comes in many different yummy scents as well, from strawberry and the fan favorite satsuma, to olive, chocolate, and the traditional cocoa butter. Their home care is just lovely too. The oil burners make great gifts. I got a lot of my friends the burner and different scented oils for the holiday last year and they all loved it. Whenever a friend of mine has a birthday, I usually make them a cute little TBS gift bag. Their lotions and shower gels are the perfect “pamper yourself” gift. A lot of my friends now shop at TBS because of how much they loved the products from their gift.

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Make sure all of you guys check out my post about my makeup and skin care must haves so you can read in depth about my favorite TBS products. Do I have any Body Shop shoppers on here? What’s your favorite product? What’s your favorite body butter or perfume scent? Comment back and let’s chat! -Sarah

ANNOYED!

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You know what REALLY grinds my gears? When different places of work are cool with tattoos showing but not piercings. In all reality it’s all the same. They’re both a body modification. I just had an interview for a hostess position at TGI Fridays, and the guy told me my nose piercings would have to be covered up or taken out. And when I worked at The Body Shop I had to take all of my piercings out. (The funny thing about that company is that tattoos were allowed to show!) Honestly I find this issue a form of discrimination on its own. And I really don’t think I’m taking it too far by saying that. How are my piercings affecting my ability to do a job? My piercings have nothing to do with my personality. My piercings don’t make me a bad person. As far as I’m concerned if tattoos can show, then why must piercings be insisted on being covered up? Are they offending anyone? No. Then why is it a problem? We’re in 2014. Why is something so minuscule still such a big deal? Aren’t there more important things to worry about in the hiring process than a few facial piercings? It’s absurd. Rant over. -Sarah