Tag Archives: whomp whomp

Jul30

Worst Weekend Ever

Posted on July 30, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello my darlings!! After achieving the highest of highs last weekend, your girl plummeted to the lowest of lows. I spent every moment of my weekend from Friday night on cooped up in bed with a summer cold from hell and it sucked. It all started with a scratchy throat late Friday afternoon that spiraled into body aches, fever and chills, nonstop nose blowing, and a pounding headache. And, naturally, all of this occurred when I was supposed to work an event with my boss, Tim. It was really disappointing, to say the least.

Rather than spending the weekend posted up at a huge motorcycle event shooting content, I was wallowing in my own pity lol. Johnny refused to breathe the same air as me (For good reason!) so I was lonely and left to my own devices. I was able to work from my phone for a bit, which was nice. A majority of my days, however, was spent watching TV to the point that I was SO sick of watching TV (We’ll discuss the documentaries and movies I watched tomorrow!). The only solace I found was that it was hot AF all weekend and as you all know, Lil Red and the heat does not mix. Granted, I was sweaty all weekend anyways so I definitely would have preferred to be working!

Despite being wicked bored for forty-eight hours and change, I do have to give big ups to my main squeeze. Johnny supplied me with ALL of the blue Gatorade and toast and scrambled eggs when I felt like eating. When he wasn’t keeping the blue on lock, Johnny made me the most disgusting tea with lots of honey. It tasted foul but I actually did feel a little better after drinking it! When he wasn’t providing sustenance for his poor sick wifey, Johnny would visit me from the doorway from time to time. Best of all, he even texted me from downstairs frequently and I genuinely can’t remember the last time he texted me period. Sometimes nice things happen even when you’re feeling like ass. 🙂

I missed a lot of my favorite things this weekend – shooting OOTDs and simply coming alive during events with Tim. This was an unwanted break, to say the least, and I am ready to take this week on and make up for lost time!

What is your cure all for a cold? Have you had to miss out on anything fun from being sick recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun2

IZME Rosehip Lip Sleeping Mask Review

Posted on June 2, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I am most fond of lip masks and it has become part of my nightly skin care routine to use one. Do I feel like they’re the most effective product in the world? Not necessarily. Do I enjoy the extra pampering ritual? Yes, indeed!! After finally finishing up my lip mask from Trader Joe’s, I was on the market for a new one. I decided to go with a Rosehip Lip Sleeping Mask by IZME during my last skin care haul at TJMaxx and have been using it since I brought it home. It’s not the best, but not the worst lol. Let’s discuss further:

I will be the first to say that TJMaxx was utterly lacking in their lip mask selection. The IZME one that I purchased was the only brand available that was non animal tested. Had that not been the case, I would have picked out something different, but I took what I could get. The IZME lip mask promised nothing else but smoother lips, which is a pretty lackluster pitch. However, it was only four dollars and I needed a new one so into the cart it went.

While using this lip mask, I liked the subtle rose scent and its texture. It felt light and silky like a lip balm, which was nice. Some lip masks can be really thick in its consistency and I hate products that make my skin feel weighed down. Despite these good first impressions, I would definitely call this mask a glorified lip balm lol. Although my lips did feel smooth with every use, it was a short lived sensation and they didn’t feel nourished. In fact, I prefer my daily use lip balm to the mask and find it to be infinitely more effective. Yes, this mask did deliver on what it said for smooth lips but it was missing that extra something that would make me want to buy it again.

I will, of course, be using this lip mask until it’s done because I refuse to not finish a product. Maybe I will like it more as time goes by. Probs not, though, lol and I think this lip mask is one you can all skip on!

What is your favorite lip mask? What do you use for lip products? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May23

iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Problems

Posted on May 23, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! It has been a few weeks since we have had a new OOTD and I am sure you’re all wondering why. I recently upgraded from the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 15 Pro Max for work. My old phone is currently at storage capacity so I have been using my new phone to shoot content as it was intended. Unfortunately, I am having some major issues with the camera – I kid you not that my pictures look infinitely better on my iPhone 12 than on the brand new one. I have noticed a lot of people online complaining about similar issues so I thought I would put my two cents in too!

iPhone 12

iPhone 15 Pro Max

What I liked the most about my old phone is that no matter the lighting or the setting, the pictures I took on them always turned out crisp and clear. While I have shot a few cool pictures and the awesome pics of Constellations at their first show (See yesterday’s post), I have been overall very unimpressed with the quality of everything else. I notice that all of the pictures seem kind of blurry, grainy, and the colors appear muddled. It is such a 180 from what I am used to and it has been most frustrating trying to figure it out.

I have combed through different “help” pages looking for solutions to this problem. I have done every single thing suggested and nothing has worked. Johnny and I have shot from all angles and all lighting for just regular old pictures and they still look busted. My next step, of course, will be calling for support to see if this can be fixed or if I will need a new phone altogether. I wanted to write this post to say that you are not losing your mind if you just can’t seem to take a good picture on this phone. I pride myself on taking “good” pictures and I haven’t had a single one taken on the new phone that’s usable. I am not sure what Apple was thinking because this is most definitely a downgrade and this phone was advertised specifically for its camera. SMH!

Trust and believe that I have been attempting to shoot outfits – you just aren’t seeing them right now lol. I can’t wait to get this issue sorted out so I can go back to one of my favorite segments on lifewithlilred!

Do you have any troubleshooting tips for me? What do you think about the iPhone 15 Pro Max? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr28

April 2024 Finishes

Posted on April 28, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!!! I don’t know how it happened, but April is almost over and it went by at dizzying speed. This month was a combination of crazy busy with a handful of crazy relaxing days and I am hoping that things slow down in May. Primarily because I don’t want to turn thirty in June lol!! Since we’re wrapping up the month, it’s time to take a look at the beauty products that I finished up. It was basically duds on duds on duds so let’s get to it:

Would I Use Again?

Thayers Witch Hazel: NO

Bath & Body Works Poppy Lotion: YES

Provence Beauty Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin B5 Serum: NO

Honest Calm & Heal Melting Balm: NO

Why/Why Not?

Thayers Witch Hazel: Way back in January, I had a huge skin care haul at TJMaxx thanks to my holiday gift cards. I got anything and everything, but the one thing missing was my beloved Evoluderm micellar water. As there was not a bottle in sight, I had to scrounge for more toners to use and ended up with a bottle of Thayers witch hazel. It took me about one month of daily use to finish the bottle as a toner and it was perfectly average. Definitely not worth writing home about or buying again!

Provence Beauty Serum: I was most excited to try out this serum, mainly because I thought the bottle was pretty lol. Unfortunately, the Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin B5 missed the mark big time. Oddly enough, I am using a different serum by the same brand and am loving the results! The finished serum was just okay. It took me one month of twice daily use to finish the bottle. In that time, I noticed no positive differences to my skin’s appearance or texture. This was weird because a hyaluronic acid formula tends to really agree with me. Apparently not this one, SMH.

Honest Balm: This is the second time that I have used the Honest Calm & Heal Melting Balm. Originally, I was pretty impressed with this product and was looking forward to trying it again. This time around, the balm did nothing for me. In fact, the thick formula was almost too much and it felt like it was suffocating my skin. I still think this balm would be excellent for people with extremely dry skin. However, if you have a normal or mildly dry skin tone, I would stick with a more moderate moisturizer. I’m glad I got to reuse this product so I can officially add it to my “won’t use again” list.

Even though my April Empties were lacking in success, I was happy to finish them up. After all of these misses, I am loving the current products I’m using. I think the May Finishes will be much better!

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

Apr4

Fetch Review

Posted on April 4, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Way back to last October, I went out to dinner with my bestie at our favorite Mexican restaurant. As we were paying our bill, I noticed she was snapping a picture of her receipt and learned that it was for an app called Fetch. She explained that all you had to do was take pictures of your receipts and you would earn points towards gift cards. So, I signed up, we both got points for her referral, and I was ready to take the Fetch app by storm!

When I first started using the app, I thought it was great! It was exciting to see the points climb with each receipt scanned and you would get a bonus scanning one receipt per day. With your receipt, you could spin a wheel for additional points and that really helped speed up the process. Another thing that made a difference in my point count was occasionally scanning receipts that I unknowingly purchased “featured deals” with. This would normally happen during big grocery shopping trips – one time I got twelve hundred points from one receipt. 😀

Despite constantly increasing my points with almost daily receipts and “spin to win” bonus points, it still felt like I had a long way to go. A ten dollar Amazon gift card alone costed twelve thousand five hundred points! Then, Fetch eliminated the bonus points and my account began moving at a snail’s pace. It took me from the beginning of October to the end of March to get my ten dollar Amazon gift card and it felt like a drop in the bucket for using the app almost daily for over a half a year.

As I have continued using the app, I find myself wondering why I even bother and am probably going to delete it soon. These receipt scan apps are, honestly, more trouble than they’re even worth. If you are consistently referring friends and shopping deals on Fetch, I’m sure it can be a somewhat lucrative tool. However, if you’re like me who has no friends and never shops any of the deals, you are in for a slow going process. Am I happy to have an extra ten bucks on Amazon? Sure. Was it worth saving and scanning receipts for such a long period of time? Meh… Not really.

If you are thinking the receipt scan apps will have you cashing out immediately, it is not like that whatsoever. They sound awesome until you realize how much effort goes into getting one gift card!

Have you used any receipt scanning apps before? What did you think about it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr3

Face Mask Festivities: Refreshing Green Tea Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Posted on April 3, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Face Mask Festivities: Refreshing Green Tea Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Hello everyone and I hope all of you enjoyed a lovely holiday weekend! I sure did. 🙂 Johnny and I both had Monday off and spent our long weekend doing a whole lot of nothing. We binged on all of our favorite shows, revisited a beloved video game called Unraveled, and tried out a new one called Little Nightmares. It was a blast and it felt so good to have some much needed R&R with my main squeeze. Between all of the vegging out, I decided to use a face mask by GlamUp and was expecting excellent results. The last one I used was delightful! Sadly, the Refreshing Green Tea sheet mask I tested missed the mark completely – a common theme with this brand SMH. Let’s discuss:

^^^ I’m sexy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I only have a handful of GlamUp masks left to use and I chose the Green Tea one because I have tea on the brain lol. Johnny has had the nastiest lingering cold and has spent the past several days with a cup of tea constantly in his hands. He always insists that I smell the tea as it’s steeping and while this sheet mask smelled nice, it definitely wasn’t as good as the real thing! The Green Tea mask did offer a soft, refreshing scent that was reminiscent of green tea leaves and I liked that it wasn’t overpowering. I tend to prefer a lighter scent when it comes to my skin care, especially for something like a mask because I want it to be soothing.

After applying the sheet mask, I let it sit for about twenty-five minutes. Normally, I am done as soon as twenty minutes hit, but this mask was so saturated in serum that it needed additional time. As the mask sat, I felt a slight cooling sensation and that was about it. I was hoping for something with a bit more oomph to it for a full “refreshing” effect and was disappointed from the utter lack of it. Once I took the mask off, I did think my skin felt a bit smoother. However, I felt no lingering effects after it was removed and that was what I liked the most about the previous mask I used. This was a fine but nothing to write home about experience, for sure.

I am going to rate the Refreshing Green Tea Sheet Mask with a four out of ten stars. It wasn’t the worst mask I have ever used, but it was certainly a step below average!

What is your favorite kind of tea? How did you spend your holiday weekend? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar30

March 2024 Finishes

Posted on March 30, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hellooo everyone! Is it just me or did January and February drag major ass and March simply flew by?! We are already wrapping up the month, which means that it’s time to discuss my beauty empties. This past month, I used several new to me products and that is something that I always enjoy! Were they buy again worthy or total duds? Let’s find out!

Would I Use Again?

Hope Soap Grapefruit & Bamboo Body Cream: MAYBE

Clinical Works Cleansing Toner: NO

The Beauty Standard Vitamin C Moisturizer: NO

Bath & Body Works Dry Skin Moisturizer: MAYBE

Provence Beauty Collagen Serum: MAYBE

Why/Why Not?

Hope Soap Cream: Hope Soap is a local business in my neck of the woods and my darling mother in law gifts me with their products for Christmas. I have used their Body Nectar several times and while they were nice, they didn’t blow me away. The mango butter body cream called The Sauce, however, was much more like it! The Grapefruit & Bamboo scent was zingy and refreshing and it felt so rich and nourishing on my skin. I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it again, but it is definitely my favorite Hope Soap product that I have used. It took me about a month to finish the bottle with once daily use.

Clinical Works Toner: During my TJMaxx holiday gift card skin care restock extravaganza (What a mouthful!), I was so disappointed that there was not a single bottle of my beloved Evoluderm micellar water in sight. So, I had to make do with random toners instead like this one by Clinical Works. I finished the bottle with once daily use in a month and I was less than impressed. What I like about the Evoluderm micellar water is that it really does feel like a beauty treatment. The toner by Clinical Works literally just felt like I was rubbing water on my face lol SMH.

The Beauty Standard Moisturizer: Normally when I use a product, I make mental notes in my head of what I liked and didn’t like about it. In the case of the Vitamin C moisturizer by The Beauty Standard, I am drawing a blank! I genuinely can’t remember if I felt any type of way about it so I’m assuming that it was very average. Since it was anything but noteworthy in my head, this is a moisturizer that I wouldn’t buy again!

B&BW Moisturizer: During my winter Semi Annual Sale shopping spree at Bath & Body Works, I was surprised to learn that they had a skin care line. I purchased one of their dry skin moisturizers out of sheer curiosity and it took me a month of twice daily use to finish the jar. During that time, I enjoyed using the moisturizer and loved how soft and smooth my skin felt with each use. It was very hydrating and it just felt nice to use. Would I buy it at full price? Hard no. But, if it is on sale again during the summer Semi Annual, I will be more than happy to buy a few jars of it.

Provence Beauty Serum: I have used several Provence Beauty products in the past because they are almost always available at TJMaxx. For the most part, I have found their skin care to be a bit above average and those are my sentiments for the Collagen Serum too. This serum absorbed nicely into the skin, sat well under makeup, and I did notice a slight difference in the tightness of my skin after a month of twice daily use. Like most of the products we discussed, the jury is out on if I would buy this serum again. However, if it were available at TJs and I needed a serum restock, I would *probably* add it to my cart.

My March empties were, clearly, nothing to write home about but were certainly worth blogging about. You are not missing out on a majority of the above if you bypass them in the store!

Have you tried any new products recently? What did you think about them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar28

Condado – Not Impressed!

Posted on March 28, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Most people hate Mondays, but I absolutely love them. It may be a three AM morning for me, but I always look forward to it. I take a client to work, then I either work from home or go to my online boss’s office. Working with my online boss is just the best and it is so nice to collab face to face on all of our different projects. It’s also awesome to be able to work side by side with someone whose company I enjoy because I am so used to working by myself.

This past Monday, I had an in office day and decided to bring home a treat for me and Johnny: Condado! One recently opened by where I work and I haven’t had it in years. Not since a show Johnny played forever ago in Columbus. I remember it being really good then, but not so much now… Check it out:

For my meal, I did the build your own tacos with a double stacked Sweet Lucy shell (a soft and hard shell with guac and queso), elote queso, and a marg to go. I couldn’t wait to dig in when I got home because I didn’t have time to eat before I left for work. While it was good, it wasn’t that good. The rice was really bland, the queso and guac didn’t have much (if any) flavor, and the chips for dipping were basically cardboard. In fact, I thought the chips from Chipotle were infinitely better! One saving grace was that the to go margaritas were pretty strong and that definitely helped lol.

In my neck of the woods, Barrio reigns supreme in the build your own taco world. Barrio mainly has locations in Ohio, but also has a few scattered across random states too. Despite endless options to add to your taco, I always get the exact same thing every time because it’s just so good every time! Once you have found a combination that you like at a restaurant, it’s hard to try anything different because it simply isn’t the same. I’m happy that I gave Candado another try because it has been on my to do list, but Barrio will be the move from now on. Way better food and prices too!

I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t wishing my order from Condado was Chipotle or Barrio instead. If you already have a favorite build your own taco place like me, Condado is not going to blow your mind so you can save the trip! 🙂

Have you tried any new eateries recently? What was a restaurant you tried that was disappointing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar11

Face Mask Festivities: Refreshing Peppermint Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Posted on March 11, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Face Mask Festivities: Refreshing Peppermint Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Hello! I spent literally all of last week being sick AF and while it was annoying, I would be a liar if I said it wasn’t kind of nice lol. For one glorious week, I got to sleep in however late I wanted, spend lots of time with my darling bunnies, and binge on Demon Slayer and Euphoria. Thursday was my last day at home before I had to work a must do shift on Friday and I decided to do a face mask in the afternoon for an extra dose of relaxation. I haven’t been too fond of the GlamUp sheet masks that I have a set of, but the last one I used wasn’t too bad so I was kind of looking forward to giving them another shot. Sadly, the Refreshing Peppermint missed the mark. Let’s discuss:

^^^ I’m sexy!!!!!

The last few days of being sick left me with cold symptoms and I was a snotty, congested mess. I chose the peppermint sheet mask because I thought it would help perk me up and I didn’t have peppermint tea to sip lol. Surprisingly, this mask fit way better than the other GlamUp ones I have used before and it made for a much more pleasant experience. I was able to hunker down with my show for twenty minutes comfortably and it was awesome to not constantly be readjusting the mask. I was definitely ready to take it off, though!

After the mask was off, I noticed a slight tingling in my skin and was able to smell the peppermint serum through my clogged up nose. My skin felt cool and *slightly* refreshed, but nothing to write home about. Although I never expect too much out of these masks, I admit that I was a little disappointed! This was the first time I have used a sheet mask that wasn’t a total hindrance in so long and I wanted more from it. The sensation from the peppermint mask was short lived and I wouldn’t use it again. Whomp whomppp.

I am going to rate this mask with a two out of ten stars. The fit was great and the scent was nice, but it did nothing for me besides that!

What is one of your favorite scents? What soothes you when you’re under the weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb23

Lil Red’s Book Club: No One Can Know By Kate Alice Marshall Edition

Posted on February 23, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Lil Red’s Book Club: No One Can Know By Kate Alice Marshall Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today we are going to discuss a thriller by Kate Alice Marshall called No One Can Know in a spoiler free setting. It has been a minute since I had the chance to read one of my beloved “LifeTime Movie” books, as Johnny likes to call them lol. Hey, he’s not wrong – the books I tend to like do read exactly like a LifeTime flick! No One Can Know was a recommendation from my big sis as we tend to both read the same things. She gave this book rave reviews, but it wasn’t my fave. Before we begin our review, I will be placing a trigger warning on No One Can Know for murder, child abuse, animal cruelty, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

Emma Palmer and her husband, Nathan, are officially down on their luck. Nathan lost his job, meaning they can no longer afford the house they planned on purchasing. They have to vacate their current housing and to top it off, Emma is pregnant. With no family to turn to and no other options available, they end up in Emma’s childhood home which hasn’t been occupied in a long time. The only thing remaining there is the horrible memories that Emma endured throughout her life.

Emma and her two sisters, Juliette and Daphne, lived in a gorgeous mansion with their parents in their youth. They had everything and wanted for nothing. Well, except for normal, loving parents that is. Emma and her siblings were subjected to physical and verbal abuse from their mom and dad. Juliette, as the eldest, did what she could to appease her parents to avoid their beatings. Daphne, the baby, was her father’s favorite and didn’t get the worst of it. That was all left to the middle child, Emma, who refused to obey the rules. Rather, she laughed at them.

All of the girls had had enough of their parents. But, enough to kill them – who’s to say? One night, when the girls were “sleeping” in their tree house, Irene and Randolph Palmer were shot to death. Although she was never arrested, Emma was the prime candidate for the murders in the name of protecting her siblings. Unsurprisingly, Emma isn’t popular in her original neck of the woods and, although it is expected, it is a harsh reality to return to after all of these years with her husband.

As Nathan and Emma set up their new digs, they are treated to vandalism and a near obsession with the cop who tried to arrest Emma as a teenager. Instead of constantly running from her past, Emma decides to face it head on to try and find out what really happened the night of her parents’ murder. Her sisters have to know something but, then again, Emma wouldn’t know because they have been estranged for fourteen years. Until now. If Emma didn’t kill her parents and she believes her sisters didn’t either, then there is still a killer at large. Can Emma, Daphne, and Juliette solve the case? Or will Emma finally be behind bars for her parents’ murder? Read No One Can Know to find out!

Based on the synopsis, No One Can Know sounds exactly like a book that I would like. I thought it was well written and the ending was pretty good even though I figured it out almost immediately. My major qualm with this book was the characters because they were, truly, nothing to sneeze at. To me, a book just isn’t great if I can’t get behind the main character and that’s how I felt about Emma. During the entirety of reading this book, I wanted Emma to get that bite back that she had in her youth. Rather, she was vague, distant, and read as weak. There was nothing exciting about her and nothing particularly likeable about her either.

I think I would have liked this book more if any of the characters had any redeeming characteristics, but that wasn’t the case. Juliette came off as insanely arrogant and sneaky and Daphne was just all together off putting. And, don’t even get me started on Nathan because he actively sucked. Perhaps the only person likeable was Gabriel, Emma’s old high school crush, but he was so rarely in the book that it didn’t even matter. With this combination of one of the worst casts in a book I have read recently, it certainly dragged on and I was SO ready for it to be over.

I am going to rate No One Can Know with a three out of ten stars. I thought it to be lackluster, at best, and wouldn’t recommend it. Whomp, whomp.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers