Top 5 Summer Blushes

I get into these moods- I know I have mentioned it here on MBB before- where I am obsessed with outfits, lipsticks, brushes, fruit, home decor, candles, photography, whatever the obsession is for the week- I get into it. Like for reals. Lately I have been obsessed with blushes. Here are my top picks for this summer!

Milani

Corallina

I think the reason for my obsession has been my latest edition in my blush collection. This baby! Oh me gosh- this is just gorgeous! Baked blushes/bronzers are always pretty in the pan, but this is just on another level. When you swatch this it looks a little lighter and brighter of a shade of coral with tiny flex of shimmer. Once applied, it brings a beautiful color to the cheeks along with a highlighting quality because of the shimmer in it- you do not need a highlight when using this blush. This is not one of those blushes that you need to apply twice. The tiniest bit will make your cheeks pop- I gotta be careful with this one, it packs pigment! Not to mention the packaging looks like it should be on the right side of Ulta {are all Ulta's set up with the higher end products on the right side of the store?} but you can find it in CVS for under $10. If you have never tried any Milani baked blushes, I can honestly say you must!

Wet n Wild Color Icon

Heather Silk

This is another banger at the drugstore. One of those blushes that you cannot swirl your brush in over and over. Lightly tap the brush into the blush then tap off the excess- I repeat, tap off the excess! This baby is pigmented and it is only like 2 or 3 bucks! If your not into the shimmer, then this is the perfect blush for you. It is a matte medium pink. It is the darkest color of the bunch. This is an all year round blush for sure. Love this one.

Physician's Formula

Rose

The packaging is adorable. It even comes with a legit brush that I can actually use {I like to use it for contouring my nose because of the shape- it reminds me of a smaller version of the Nars Ita brush} If your new to makeup I think this is a great pick for you. It's not one of those blushes that is so pigmented that it's hard to use but it is surely buildable. Once applied it looks so beautiful on the cheeks. This is a blush that has some shimmer in it {not as much as Corallina}. This blush is magical- It has a highlighting quality without being crazy shimmery. It does have a little bit of shimmer in the pan but on the cheeks it doesn't look shimmery. It just looks brightening. On top of that it brings a nice pink flush to the cheeks. You will see in the swatch photo, it looks almost identical to Dollface. However, if you swatch more of that brighter pink color as opposed to the baby pink (which is how I usually wear it/how its swatched in the photo) you will get a different color. Thinking back I wished I would have swatched it that way. I need to start wearing more of the brighter color because it is so pretty on the back of my hand right now!

ELF Studio Blush

Pink Passion

I am in love with ELF's Studio Blushes. If I could have, I would have put them all in this blog post but because half of them have broken and have the pan showing, I decided it wouldn't be a very cute photo. So here is a review on the line. Anyways, this blush is the brightest of the bunch: a hot bubble gum pink. It is also a matte blush. It is also extremely chalky, which also makes it very pigmented. Tap off the excess, please! With all of these pros and cons, it is a great blush in my collection and it is well loved- I have been using it more than ever this summer. A great pick for any skin tone!

Tarte Amazonian Clay

Dollface
Another matte pink blush. It swatches just like PF's Rose but without the shimmer. It's hard to swatch! It isn't all that pigmented but again, I kinda like that quality in a blush because you can build it up without having to worry about looking like a clown. This one just does something for me. It is that blush that I go to when I don't know what else to wear.

This blog post goes along with The Summer Edit Pt II. I mentiond some of these in that video and also a couple more. The other one's I mention in the video are some of my favorites but they just do not photograph that well because they look used and worn down, to be frank. So check it out!




Thanx for reading!
<3
Erica

Summer Lippies: L'Oreal Color Riche

Walking around Wal Mart a few weeks back, I noticed these were on sale! I also seen these 50% off at CVS too. When something is on sale, I cannot resist. So I bought a couple. These came out last year when the Revlon Lip Butter and Maybelline Baby Lips craze was going on. This was L'Oreal's response to the lip tints. These were the only lip butter esq lip products I had yet to try. So I went for it!

First off, I am obsessed with the packaging. It reminds me of YSL with the gold tube. They are just cute and I feel kinda fancy when I whip it out. I know that is so lame, but whatever. The packaging alone sold me, I'm just being honest! I'm not alone beauty bloggers, am I?

These are comparable to the Revlon's Lip Butter's. They have that same pigment type: they have a sheer wash of color and look slightly glossy on the lips. When you first apply it, it has a slick type of feeling to it. They feel thin and sheer. But they stand out among the Revlon Lip Butter's because of the way they wear down. The glossiness wear's away after awhile but the color is still there. They wear down {especially the brighter color} to what looks like a stain with almost no detection of being drying or patchy which is a great quality! It actually looks like your lips are just that color, no detection of any type of product on the lips, just color, if you can catch my drift.

Fuchsia Flirt

This is a bright fuchsia {name says it all}. The color fuchsia's nature is usually a bright cool toned pink. As you know, cooler (blue) tones in any lip product, make your teeth appear whiter. Always a plus! My favorite out of the pair, is this one. When you first apply it, you get a bright glossy fuchsia color. It isn't as bright as it looks in the tube but I don't think it's supposed to be. Nonetheless, it is still nice and bright on the lips. Like I said before, the brighter color wears down better to what looks like a stain. This one does so but in a way where it doesn't look as bright as it did when you first apply it. Either way, it is an easy lippie to wear the whole day and no matter what it looks like on the lips {bright or duller} it still looks nice.

Cotton Pink

This is a pretty pastel nude pink color once applied. Once it dries down, it loses it's pink tone and turns into more of a nude.  For that reason, it reminds me a lot of Revlon's Lip Butter in Creamsicle, which is a pastel nude. This one does make fine lines and chapped lips more apparent and it also can become a little more drying on the lips than Fuchsia Flirt for whatever reason. I find myself having to re-apply this color sooner than I do with Fuchsia Flirt too. I doesn't hold up as long as the brighter color does.

All and all, I really like these! I think that the brighter/darker colors are better. They seem to just wear down better and look better considering they are more pigmented. Since I liked Fuchsia Flirt so much, I went ahead and picked up a bright red called Cardinal Plume.

If you have yet to check out my Summer Edit: Lips and Tips Video {and Part II: Face and Body} I would definitely do so on my Youtube Channel! These lippies are featured as are a ton of other great summer lipsticks, lip glosses, and nail polishes.

What is your favorite summer lip product?

Here's more ideas for bright lipsticks for the summer!

thank you so much for reading!

till next time

Erica 

What's Up in The Video World

Hi! I thought I would update all of you on the things I've been posting to YouTube! Enjoy the video trio of my favorite products (aka hits and misses) healthy food (Nature Box Snacks) , and a Q+A (TMI Tag)

take care

xoxo

Erica

May Ipsy

I can honestly say that I love Ipsy. The Glam Bag is the best thing that happens to my mail box every month...obviously since I am only getting bills besides Ipsy items. Lately I have been getting a lot of friends sign up and people in the grocery store talk about Ipsy. The cashier at the grocery store noticed I was carrying 5+ Glam Bag's in my purse and brought it up. Everyone seems to love the Glam Bag. A lot of the stuff is a total hit. Some of it is a total miss. This is where I come to talk about it.

I have been subscribed to Ipsy since July 2013. In the 11 months, this may be the very best bag I have gotten. Meaning the actual bag, not the products inside. It's so cute. It looks like something you would get from Clinique or something. I do wish the bags were a little bigger but this bag is made of fabric that reminds me of burlap or something like that so there is some give in it.

I have had the products for a week or so and there are two products that stand out and I have actually been using them. The Balanced Guru Hair Oil is awesome. It's just like any other hair serum {Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum or John Frieda Frizz-Ease} only this serum is totally organic and cruelty free. It is made up of a ton of essential oils: sesame oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, tamanu oil, lemongrass, and eucalyptus. I have been putting a few drops in my palms and rubbing it around my fingers and some of the back of my hands, then I finger comb my hair while it is still damp before I blow dry it. It's been working nicely. I need a serum in my hair at all times. Especially in the hotter months to come. Ohio summers are very hot and humid which isn't good for my frizzy hair.

Another product I have been using this past week is Avene Thermal Spring Water. This is a spring water spray for sensitive skin. This is more or less a luxury product. The recommended uses for this is to use if your skin is irritated or after you take off your makeup, or on a hot summer day to cool your face down. I have just been using it as instead of a toner. I wanna save it for when we go on vacation. Thanks Ipsy because I would never buy something like this lol. It's just for fun and I don't see it as an essential have-to-have-it product every day.

Then we have Hang Ten Classic Sport SPF 50. This is another thing I will be saving for vacation. Love that packaging though. It's like an 80's throwback.

This bag also came with a couple makeup items

Boo-Boo Concealer reminds me a lot of Hard Candy's Glamoflauge Concealer. It's really thick and creamy. I tend to gravitate more to brightening concealers to be used around the eyes and down the nose. The Boo-Boo Cover Up and concealers like it are better for actually concealing a blemish or scar. I do however like mixing them in with a moisturizer in the summer for a simple tint and very light coverage. It's a DIY tinted moisturizer.

Then we have Pacifica Natural Beauty Duo 2. I have only tested this out once and it was only to swatch them on my wrist as you see below. Not the best nor the worst pigment I have seen in an eyeshadow. I feel like I can get some use out of that lighter color. In the pan it looks like a shimmery white but once I swatched it, you can really see that it is more of a warmer champagne color.

What was your favorite Glam Bag product this month?

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day everyone in the US!

Take Care

Erica

Bright Summer Lips: NYX Butter Glosses

When spring/summer rolls around, I am ready for bright color's. The past week in Ohio has been nothing but rain and storms. Le sigh. I went into Ulta with the intention of finding something bright. NYX was having BOGO 1/2 off {as usual} and I knew I already liked their Lip Butters so I decided on these two. They were the brightest of the bunch.

Since I have already reviewed these in two other colors here, I will just give you a quick run down. These Lip Butters are great. They have a doe foot applicator + They have both pigment and gloss. It truly feels like a buttery consistency. It isn't sticky in the slightest. They are comfortable to wear.

Cherry Cheese Cake

This one was the brightest orange of the bunch. I always like orange lipstick for the summer. I wondered why they chose "Cherry" as a part of the name- it is a bit misleading. I think of a cherry as red, don't you? I have decided if it isn't a red orange then it is a yellow orange. To me, this is a true orange. It reminded me a lot of Revlon's Siren {matte} and swatching them next to each other, I noticed it was a dupe as far as the color goes. If your looking for the perfect orange lip, they make an excellent pair.

Peaches and Cream

Another weird name. I had to look for the peachy tone in there and I suppose this would lean slightly coral but to me this is just a perfect bubblegum pink. I have talked about the ELF Essentials Lipstick in Flirtatious plenty of times {may or may not be my all time favorite lipstick} and after swatching them side by side, I realized they are an exact dupe as far as color goes. Another perfect pairing if your looking for a bright pink lip.

Here's the swatches on my wrist. Peaches and Cream is on top and Cherry Cheesecake is below that.

Swatching lipsticks/glosses never give a true color of what it would look like on the lips. These lip glosses look a little but deeper- more bold - on the lips.

I love this time of year. I am so excited for the summer- and bold bright colors!

What are your favorite Bright lip colors?

What about your Favorite NYX Butter Gloss shades?

thanx for reading!

{xx}

Erica

Budget Friendly Makeup Collection and Storage {DIY}

Any sort of collection you may have that involves a bunch of different little piece {makeup collection, craft/scrap book/etc} can be kind of hard to organize. In most cases, collections tend to grow over time and the way you store things will grow over time as well. This is how I used to store my makeup back in 2011/2012. I love those plastic drawer units. You can find those at any Target or Wal-Mart for a decent price.

Now that my collection has grown, the storage unit has also grown. I bought this Ten Piece Drawer Set at Sam's Club for a complete steal for only around $20! It was easy to put together and with a little bit of messing around with everything, everything fits perfectly.

All of the little bins inside of each drawer were either bought at Target ($1), Dollar Tree (3 for $1 and the larger ones $1), and Dollar General ($1).

Tips:

I was looking at the ten drawers in the order I do my makeup. The top drawer is face items {foundation, concealer, primer's, etc} Second drawer is blushes, + bronzers. Third and fourth drawer are eye products, going all the way down the line {with some exception. I should have made the brow products one of the tops drawers but whatever}

Start by figuring out what you have the most of/least of then designate a drawer accordingly. Then start placing your bins in each drawer and you will be surprised to learn that the bins just start fitting in each drawer almost like they were meant to be there- almost like a puzzle piece or something!

♥Adorable DIY Tablescape
♥Favorite Drugstore Matte Bronzers/Contours
♥Favorite Champagne Eyeshadows
♥Mally Beauty Brand Review

ok it's Friday night and I am so ready to to chill out and edit a video and some photos, have a marathon of The Challenge and Chardonnay and maybe order a pizza? I couldn't think of anything more fun to do. Dork. Yes. I am. 

How do you store your makeup?

Until Next Time!
Erica

Bath and Body Works Candles + A Mall Haul

It has been some time since I purchased any new B+BW candles. It is one of my favorite stores. It's kind of ridiculous how many candles I have. I personally like to save any seasonal candles I haven't used up for the next year in case I miss the 2 for $22 for any given month. I used to not care about what scent I was burning in what month but there really something about the changing of the seasons paired with seasonal candles. In the fall, I crave Cinnamon Sugared Donut and Cider Lane. In the summer, I crave summer scents. It's so weird. I don't know how I got like this....im pretty sure B+BW had something to do with it.

Aloha Waikiki
Hulas & Hibiscus

I had this Wallflower last year and even though I love the smell of hibiscus, the Wallflower was too strong- or maybe I am just sick of it! Probably. On top of the Wallflower I had, I also have the Kim K. perfume which smells a lot like this candle. I have wanted this candle since last year and when I realized this scent was part of the 2 for $22, I couldn't resist. Now, I'm deciding on returning it. I need something new. But if you need a hibiscus or plumeria fix, this is your candle. It also kind of smells like jasmine too. Although they had another candle with a dominant jasmine note and I liked it more than this. It does have a high scent throw though. I'm taking it back anyways. I'm sick of this scent! Do you ever get like that?

"an exquisite fusion of Plumeria petals, Tiare blossoms, and a hint of sugarcane that transports you to the big island Aloha paradise!"

Garden Strawberry

OMG! When I first started my blog, I did a blog post about a Strawberry candle B+BW had years ago. It smelled like straight up strawberries. Even though strawberries aren't my favorite fruit, I do love the smell. This candle is incredible. I lit it in my bedroom and I could smell it coming up the stairs (we have a second floor that consists of 1 bedroom and a sitting room. It's pretty much a glorified attic). The scent isn't obnoxious or anything like that but the scent throw is really far. I love the smell of this. It smells like sugary tart strawberries along with some mango. Mangos are my favorite fruit but I honestly wish it was just strawberry scented. Nonetheless, the candle smells so good. The scent description reads:

 "A succulent blend of juicy strawberries, fresh mango nectar & floral peach blossom."

Cinnamon Sugared Donut:

I normally do not buy candles twice. I get sick of the scent by that next season and move on. I make an exception for Cinnamon Sugared Donut. Last fall, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! When I got to the store, I found out they did away with it for Fall 2013. Naturally I moved on to other candles but I kept on thinking about this one. It is my favorite B+BW candle scent- probably ever. This is featured in the Sweet Shop line that is apparently sold exclusively in the mason jars only. Adorable, yes. But there is something about the scent throw- the mason jar just doesn't have as far of one as the 3 wick did. It smells exactly the same in the jar but when it's lit, it isn't as strong as a scent as it used to be. I liked to be smacked in the nose with fragrance when I walk in the door and this one doesn't smack me very hard. Which is unfortunate because it smells exactly like the description reads:

"Share the delight of a freshly baked vanilla cake doughnut covered in sugar crystals and crushed cinnamon"
 

Next time I go back I need to stock up on Wallflowers and some new Bath and Body Products (coconut. yum.) Anyways, that's another blog post.

At another mall trip I bought a few other things! Elephant in the room:{I shop too much. Honestly. I feel like my life revolves around hauls and shopping. It's a problem.} Anywho, I bought more stuff!!! Surprise, surprise. This video haul consists of jewelry and sunglasses, but hey! I have a wedding to go to people. That's always my spring time excuse. I could also mention that its the changing of the seasons and trends....Those 2 are good enough excuses for me! 

 

Do you have a favorite spring candle?
What is it?

Thank you for viewing!
xxx
Erica

April Ipsy Review and A Blog Make Over!!!

Hi! As you can probably tell, I re-did my blog! Yay! I haven't changed it up since early last year, which is a shame. It got to the point where I didn't even want to post anything on it- as you can probably tell again! So yeah I'm pretty excited about it. There are a few finishing touches {like centering my sidebar. I had a code for it awhile back and then one day, the code stopped working for some reason}. So what do you think?! I love it.

Ok, now for the Ipsy review. I literally love the Glam Bag. You get 5 beauty products for only $10 which is a steal. I realize my blog has been taken over by Ipsy things lately. I blog about what I love and Ipsy is just the best.

Urban Decay 
24/7 Velvet Glide On Pencil // Black Velvet

This month, the Urban Decay eye liner alone is worth more than the bag. It has been some time since I have worn black in the inner rim of my eye. I used to all the time then I got comfortable with brown eye liner up top, nude liner on the bottom, and the usual black liquid liner on the lash line. Today, I used this liner in my inner rim and on the upper lash line. I didn't want to over do it, so I used a matte light brown in the crease and a matte creamy white all over the lid (both shadows from the Stila Dancing With The Stars palette) and it looks really simple but also polished and finished. This liner is a velvet finish, which reminds me of a matte finish but once applied, I can't tell any sort of difference of the finish of this and any other black liner I have. The wear is pretty good- you have a few seconds to play with it- weather you want to smudge it or what but once it sets, it pretty much stays. I did have some product collecting underneath my bottom lash line by the middle of the day but it was nothing I couldn't wipe away. Other then that, it is nice and black and easy to use.

Cailyn
Tinted Lip Balm // Apple Pink

I have gotten a Cailyn product in my Ipsy bag before. I would have liked it if it was in a different color but they make pretty good quality stuff. The format is a pot of product, with a lid and attached to the lid is a nice lip brush. I found the lip brush is extremely nice for lining your lips with the product before hand. I ended up filling in the rest of my lips with it too but that can be a little time consuming considering the size of the brush. The product itself is more or less a lipstick in a pot. The consistency is thin and is pigmented even at that. it didn't take much to get pigment and it didn't dry out my lips either. It's neither hydrating nor drying so even though it is labeled as a lip balm, I wouldn't consider it one. I think of a balm as hydrating. The color is a peachy nude. This color would be perfect for a medium skin tone- it looks a little dark (not too dark) on me, but also like nothing I have. Side note: The name Apple Pink is so cute.

edit:
me wearing Apple Pink. It actually looks better than I thought it did.

City Color
Mousse Eyeshadow // White Gold

at first glance, I thought this was a fine micro shimmer powder. Once I touched it, I realized it was mousse. The consistency is weird! Not like other mousse's I have tried in the past- this one is wet and it has that silicone feeling to it like a primer would. Really strange! As you can see in the swatch, it is a very pretty duo chrome shimmer. I have yet to wear it and honestly, I am a little frightened to wear it. Every time I do the swatch-and-rub test I get shimmer everywhere! It doesn't dry down to anything. I think it tries to be a cream-to-powder but it fails. Maybe I am applying too much? All I know is that I need to double up on the primer and use a very thin layer when I finally use this. I will probably just pop this on the center of the lid- anywhere else may just be too messy and unforgiving. But the color is so pretty! 

St. Tropez
Gradual Tan Anti-Ageing // Multi Action Face

This is apparently gradual face tanner with anti-aging properties. I used it once and I am a little intimidated by it. I don't necessarily want my face tanner than my body. I use bronzer and that is usually enough for me. So yah know this isn't something that I would repurchase or recommend. If it was a gradual body tanner it would be a different story. 

Such a Tease

So Seductive // Lashes

I've said it before and I will say it again- I am not one for fake lashes! I wear them for events and that is about it. My cousins wedding is coming up so I am going to try them out then. Ill post a photo of my FOTD on my Instagram! {@MeetMissJackson}

here's the swatches:

Thank you for viewing!
<3
Erica

Favorite Drugstore Matte Bronzers

Most of my bronzer collection is shimmery- mostly higher end bronzer's as well. Those are great for all over the face, and they do just fine for contouring but won't look as flattering as a matte bronzer. I always heard of contouring with a normal face powder a few shades darker than your skin tone {which is a great idea} but I found a couple bronzers that are even better and depending on sales, are most likely even cheaper.

The brush that I use almost every single day for contouring is Sigma's Large Angled Contour Brush F40. I bought it a couple years ago and it is still going strong! I really like to use Real Techniques Contour Brush which is much a much smaller dome shaped brush. It get's right into the hollows of your cheeks so well but I try to reserve that brush for highlighter only for cross contamination pigmentation reasons.

NYC Color Wheel Mosaic

All Over Bronze Glow

I have heard about this bronzer over and over again and never pulled the trigger until my bff bought it. It is only a few bucks and is worth every penny. This is the only thing I own from NYC. I usually pass them up for some reason but I want to try some more of their products. If this bronzer is a testament to their other products, NYC could be one of the best brands at the drugstore. The texture of it is kind of hard to the touch {which made it hard to swatch} but it goes on so lightly and looks so subtle while still contouring because of that. There is no need to worry about being heavy handed with it.

Revlon Photo Ready

Bronzed and Chic

This bronzer feels more velvety to the touch. In comparison to NYC it is a little bit more softer, which makes it more pigmented. It is also a little deeper than NYC's bronzer- just a touch.  Either of these bronzers will work well for fair skin tones but this one will work better than NYC for a medium skin tone- the lightest color out of the four colors is deeper than the lightest color in NYC's {clearly}.  This one is also easier to use for skin tones ranging in color because it is easy to choose your color. As you can see, you have 4 choices and can dip your brush in all of the quadrants, half of them, or just one color. The quadrants are just big enough to fit any angled contour brush into. I tend to swirl each color and that is how I got the color you see in the swatch.

Something that these bronzers have in common is the pigment. These aren't like blushes I have used in the past or an eyeshadow that is so pigmented that even if you touch it, you will get one heavy swatch. The swatches you see here are heavy handed swatches. I really wanted to show you each color and how they are different. However, I don't think this is a deal breaker in the world of matte bronzers. When I use my angled contour brush with these bronzers, they apply just fine and look like a natural contour. You can see a difference on the face. If they were more pigmented, it would be harder to get a subtle difference. So when you use a face powder or an eyeshadow to contour, it doesn't look as natural in my opinion. Each of these bronzers have that same medium brown color with a slight orange background  which makes it a bit more forgiving on the face. Cooler, deeper, bronzers seem to look muddy on my skin. I have fair, cool toned skin.

I hauled Revlon's bronzed and Chic in this video along with a ton of other drugstore makeup! Check it out-

till next time,

Erica

Nature Box + Other Healthy Food

Last year around this time I lost around 15-20 lbs. I dont consider myself fat or anything but it would be nice to tone back up. Since I moved back in August, it has been hard for me to find some kind of balance. I went from living with my mom and boyfriend to living with my dad and paying all the utilities. Since then, besides my job, my life has been different. I even started doing YouTube videos over blogging. Observing all of the conscious and sub-conscience changes is weird, actually. All of that aside, I am really trying lose weight again and tone back up!

I am a sucker for monthly subscription boxes. When I found out I could the Nature Box for $10 the first month as opposed to the normal $20, I decided to give it a shot! In the video I talk about my thoughts on it and taste all of the food.

Nature Box is kind of like Birch Box or the Glam Bag except in healthy food form. The thing that separates them {besides the fact you get food} is that you can actually pick out your snacks every month. It is nice to get some healthy snacks delivered to me. The more healthy snacks, the better in my opinion. I give the jest of it in the video, but I have a link for you guys to use in case you wanna try out the Nature Box for $10 the first month too!  Remember that you can cancel after the first month, which what I think I am going to do. It isnt because the snacks weren't tasty or unhealthy or anything like that. It's just that I have been dying to try Tera's Whey Protein Powder for over a year now and it is $20. That's where my "healthy food not from the grocery store fund" is going for April.

 

.

Try out the Nature Box yourself for $10 the first month here.

Since I have had this blog for over 3 years {it sounds crazy}, I figure I could feature some of my favorite healthy blog post's here to go with the video

Breakfast Smoothies and Meal Prepping {feat the Green Banana Split Smoothie}


Love Pink Skinny Cheesecake Bites 

Skinny Fun-Fetti Cheesecake Dip


Blueberry Cheesecake Pudding Pops
 

Anti-Aging Weight Loss Beverage


I just realized that the majority of my healthy food blog post's have to do with cheesecake. I love cheesecake.

Have you guys tried the Nature Box?

Are any of you health food enthusiasts?

What is your favorite subscription box to get every month?


thanx for reading!
<3
Erica

March Ipsy Review and FOTD

I have never been a firm believer in apologizing for not publishing on any particular blog. It's your own thing, it isn't your job and I feel as if you can post or not post whenever you want. But, not publishing regular blogs here just feels weird. I am trying to find a balance between YouTube and Mind Body Beauty and obviously I have yet to find it. However, this is a great start! From here on out, you wont hear any excuses about why I publish or don't publish. I will hopefully find some kind of balance. To be total honest I have been inspired to start publishing here on a regular basis. I just don't want to neglect my channel. Either way, I will always have a creative outlet. When the time comes that I suddenly stop using those outlets to my benefit, some one look into where I have been and my mind set. The day i stop having a creative outlet is the day you can declare me dead. So, please go subscribe to my YouTube channel! It's the same stuff from here, only it's there. I used to hate reading these types of messages on blogs because frankly I didn't really care. I just wanted to read the content and I hope you feel the same. This is officially the last "excuse" you will ever hear from me.

Ok! Now that I have that out of the way, I want to talk about my March Ipsy bag! I honestly love this subscription. I don't need to tell you all exactly what it is all about, but if you need to know more than this, click, click, click!

In the video, I review and swatch everything but one thing....

Klorane Eye Patches

I have never in my life tried eye patches. I have done tea bags on my eyes and it really reduces swelling and redness. Maybe I should do a blog post on that one day. These patches are marketed as soothing and relaxing and with soothing cornflower. I had no clue cornflower was soothing before this. You are to take the patches off of the paper and apply to the contour of your eyes {right underneath} for 20 minutes. The patch had a sticky gel-like consistency but it was nothing that was irritating. In fact, the eye patches felt really cooling- minty, really. I left them on for around a half hour and while they felt nice on, I didn't see too much of a difference. My under eyes still looked red {as usual} but they did feel a little bit softer. These were fun to try but I don't think they are a must.

On the other hand, the Bare Minerals Rebel Lip Gloss and Be a Bombshell Eyeshadow Quad in Bora Bora were a huge hit! Here's my Face of the Day using each of those products:

FOTD:
I used the Bare Minerals lip gloss in Rebel, that being the only thing on my lips. On the eyes, I used Rock Bottom {burnt red} on the lid, Risky Business {gold} right on the center of the lid, Starlet {brown} in the crease, and Bora Bora {teal} on the bottom lash line. I used a nude eye pencil in the waterline, a brown on the upper lash line, and my favorite liquid liner from Milani called Eye Tech. It's in a gold tube. Its amazing. Lastly I used Physician's Formula's Organic Wear mascara. I really like it- Review to come on that soon! 
 

That's it for now!

<3
Erica

How To Live The Dream

Hey! So I have mentioned before on the blog that I go through phases. It will be an obsession with nail polish, then an obsession with clothes, then I will be loving lipstick, all the way to something else. Lately, I have had an obsession with setting goals. It really seems so weird. As with any obsession I have in any current week/month, I feel as if I have to create different content and make it into something huge weather thats here or there.

It was the perfect time for goals setting when my Live the Dream Workshop started, as it was the beginning of the year. But to be completely honest, it was something I had been planning since October. I have been trying to figure out how to "live the dream" since I was in middle school. Later in life, I was the pole dancer at a Las Vegas club reading "The Secret" and "Smart Women Finish Rich" in the locker room. 7 years later, I believe I have how to Live the Dream down to a simple science. It seems over the top to have a 5 part video series to share it with the world but it is what it is.

Part 1 is really my favorite one. Podcast worthy. None of these thoughts are original of course, but they all ring true which was why I felt the need to share them all with you. Part 2,3, + 4 is the actual formula. I took a little from this book, and a little bit from that guy and created what I think is a great formula to live the dream. I'm not saying you need to follow every single suggestion but I am saying you should watch each one and take what you need. Part 5 is all of the resources I learned each technique from and I highly recommend if something strikes a chord with you, to go and check that resource out.

If this isn't your thing, I totally understand!  This is something I am passionate about and if it is your thing, I truly hope you learned something (:

Hi and welcome to the final installment of the Live the Dream Workshop! Here is where I talk about all of my favorite books, pastors, life coaches, podcasts, and more and it is where I get all of my ideas from.

♥Watch the whole Live the Dream Workshop

♥Favorite Podcasters♥
♡Joel Osteen
♡Joyce Meyer
♡I Heart Life {Yvette Bowlin}
♡Do Really Good {Tony J Robinson}
♡Making Mountains Move
♡Every Day is Saturday
♡Every Day is Saturday Channel
♡The Daily Boost

♥Applications♥
♡Vision Board Pro
♡Agape Affirmations

♥Newsletters & Websites♥
♡Heather Waxman
♡The Daily Love

♥Books♥
♡The Secret (the documentary is on Netflix if your not a reader!)
♡The Magic
♡The Slight Edge

♥You Tube Channels + Videos ♥
♡Nikki Phillippi's How to Be Happy January
♡HalimahNia M's Vision Board Video
♡Loey Lane's How to Achieve your Goals and Live Your Dream Life

♥My Channel
♥Twitter + Instagram: @MeetMissJackson

♥Song From Sound Cloud:
♡ Modest Mouse - Float On {TI Remix}

What are some ways you Live the Dream Every Day?

xoxo

Erica