August Favorites

Geez, this whole project took a while. The fact that it's almost 20 minutes long is hilarious considering I didn't even get to talk about every thing I wanted to. But, I do think you all will like this mini series I got goin' on. These videos are so me. I always think its fun to see a blogger convert into a vlogger. You think you know someone, but then you actually get to know them thru videos. Quirks, Voice, Mannerisms, whatever.

Even if you could care less about me, the stuff I am talking about is obviously awesome. I talk about some beauty products and also some spiritual type of stuff. The things I do to keep myself in check, be happy, and live a better life. All that stuff is in Part 2.

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Products Mentioned:
♥ Bath and Body Works Gelato 3 Wick Candle
♥ OPI Nail envy for Sensitive and Peeling Nails
♥ Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in Berry Juicy
♥ Paul Mitchell Twirl Around Crunch Free Curl Definer
♥ Milani Brow Fix Brow Kit
♥ Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter
♥ Mica Beauty Shimmer Powder in Bronze

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Person Mentioned:
Elle Sees

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Products Mentioned:
♥Pacifica Alight Multi Mineral BB Cream
♥Pop Beauty Pop Crayon in Rose Romance
♥Avon Glimmersticks Lip Liner in Simply Spice
♥Bath and Body Works Pocket Bac in I Love Cinnamon Buns
♥Cinnamon Sugar Anything
♥The Magic by Rhonda Byrne
♥I Heart Life Podcast with Evette Boylin

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People Mentioned:
♥MaskCara

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Let me know what you all think of this! I need to start getting on some sort of schedule when it comes to blogging and vlogging. Not sure what that schedule will be yet, but yah no. Im finally putting this up on the 12th of September which I think is a little late for a monthly favorites video.

I must ask you all, how do u stay on track? I am the one that plans out each and every day with a list that is separated hour by hour. But I am still behind. I had a great rhythm going at the beginning of the summer. That was when I lived at my mom's and life was simpler. Now I have my own place. Can I tell you how many bills I pay? That might be tacky but I feel like I am going to the bank every other day. And I am obsessively compulsively decorating my home that I call my own.....kind of. Philly lives here some times as does my Dad. But I pay the bills and I decorate how ever I want. So I am pretending it's all mine. The house also came with my dog growing up, Choochie's (choo-cheeee's). So there's that.

What were your favorite things from August?

How do you guys stay on track?

Thank you for viewing!

xoxo
Erica

Top 6 Favorite Nude Pink Lippies

Lippies. I like that word. Nude Pinks might be my favorite color to wear. Second favorite would be Pinks. Third favorite would be Nudes. So, obviously Nude Pinks are awesome. They go with anything. Smokey eye, natural eye, colorful eye, loud clothing, etc. Since I have gotten tanner with my tanning salon package, + obsessing over my Beautisol body bronzer, my lipsticks start to look a little weird. It is just strange. Sometimes, I feel like the tan mom if I don't have on the right lip color. Nude pink's seem to never fail, however. Weather I am really tan or really pale, they always look good. Here's my staple nude pinks. My favorites.

Essence Stay With Me Lipgloss

Me and My Ice Cream

Uhm yeah, that name should draw you in alone. Along with that milky baby pink color, it is perfect. This lip gloss smells like a clean floral, as I stated in my previous video, which is ironic considering the name. The scent is quite nice, actually. Aside from the scent, this is my favorite lip gloss, let alone my favorite nude pink. It's not too dull, too nude, too pink, too dark, or too light. It has a sponge tip applicator that is shaped like an hour glass, which makes swatching it a little weird but other than that, I don't mind it. It isn't sticky. It doesn't stay all day. It's not a super gloss, just a normal gloss in the perfect color. You will have to re-apply this after an hour just like you do with all lip glosses.

ELF Glossy Gloss

Pink Candy

Comparing it to Me and My Ice Cream, Pink Candy is a little more nude and a little more dull. It has a brush tip applicator and is also kind of sticky and thick. I personally don't mind it too much but I do not find myself reaching for it as much as my Essence gloss. If your looking for something that is more nude than pink but is still nude pink, this is a good color.


NYX Soft Matte Lipcream
Tokyo
 This product. Your going love it or your going to hate it. It's not a gloss, or lipstick. The consistency of it is a thin creamy formula and all it is pretty much is pigment. When you put it on your lips, it dries within a few minutes. I mean, it dries. It is very drying. Dry lipsticks tend to last longer and I like to put this down then add a lipstick {Revlon Prim Rose} over it. Or a gloss. Any of these lip products I am talking about today go great with this. I use it as a foundation for my lips. I have that nude milky pink color, but I can change it to tone it down, cool it down, warm it up, neutralize it, whatever. It's a nice base for that and a nice base to keep your lipstick used in conjunction lasting longer. Doe foot applicator. Smells like a cupcake.

NYX Round Lipstick
Strawberry Milk
If you like that Nikki Minaj lip color, you just might love this. Strawberry Milk is basically Tokyo in a lipstick as far as the color and pigmentation goes. The NYX Round Lipsticks are very creamy, not drying like the Lip Creams. This one is for my fair skinned girls {or guys. I don't judge} I have recently gotten a tan and I am noticing I hate this color on me now that I am little more tanned. I am still determined to use it though. So I like mixing it with a Chap-Stick. It tones down the color and I am getting that milky pink that I want without looking like some creepy, 80's movie star, frosted lipstick, tan mom psycho. But I think of Nikki and she is obviously black. How in the world does she pull it off and look freaking fabulous? Maybe it's just for darker girls or paler girl- maybe there is no middle ground. I wish I had an answer. These smell and tastes like the Essence lip glosses. A floral clean scent. I like it.

Revlon Lipstick
Primrose
The perfect nude pink for any skin tone. Seriously. It is just pink enough and nude enough and Primrose has a magic to it. I can wear this at any stage of my tan. And when I am paler than a ghost, it still looks great. This lipstick is my favorite nude pink because of that. It isn't drying, but also not as creamy as the NYX Round Lipsticks. Doesn't have much of a scent/taste. It isn't drying either. It's a good one.

Avon Ultra-Color Rich Moisture
Pink Tarifeta
It seems as though most people tend to stick to either a matte finish or a cream finish. Or a satin finish. Frosty finishes seem to be outdated {for now} and lustre's are kind of the same. But, I think if you can do a lustre correct, it will look really pretty! A lustre finish is demi-sheer with a smooth wet-look finish. {ref.} This particular lipstick also has some shimmer in it. It is really pretty. It isn't too loud and in your face and actually can look subtle and draw enough flattering attention to your lips. This is another lipstick that looks good on me no matter what stage of tan I am in. It's a creamy formula. Try a finish like this. I bet you will like it. This is Avon's "lip butter" version. It is moisturizing just like any of those lip butters you will find in the drugstore. I like these. A great nude pink with a unique finish.


Here's the swatches. You can really see for yourself the contrast/comparisons of each lip product from these a lot better than I can explain them!

What's your favorite nude pink?

That's all for now!
xoxo
Erica

What I Got in My Easter Basket and Easter OOTD

So, how was your Easter? 

Mine? 
Was good! 
Thank you for asking!

I woke up and noticed a basket of stuff on the dining room table. It didn't really look festive. I thought my mom was just cleaning, found some stuff, and put it in an old basket {which was my moms Easter basket when she was little}. Until I seen a bottle of Victoria's Secret body spray. I realized it was my Easter basket! It was so thoughtful of my mom to buy her full grown daughter an Easter basket! I haven't had one in ages!

 PINK Warm and Cozy Body Spray my mom really nailed this scent. I like it a lot! It smells very cozy and has notes of vanilla and peony.

While at Victoria's Secret, my mom got me a pair of undies from the PINK line.

I also got a new bag! Funny story: The night before I went out to buy an Easter dress from Target {more on that in a minute} but instead bought a new purse. I wanted one that was smaller and I could throw around my shoulder and found an adorable bag. Now I have two new bags (: I feel spoiled! She ordered this one from Avon.

Lastly, my mom gifted me a set of 4 Camis. I almost bought a peach colored cami at Target the night before but ended up not purchasing it because it was $8 for 1 of them. Im glad I got one now. I also got a gorgeous emerald color {color of the year!}, a hot pink, and a navy blue one.

and now for my Outfit of the Day. It's the best I can do - in front of a mirror - when it comes to OOTD's. Maybe Phil will help with some in the next couple of weeks.

I almost bought this dress to wear for Easter from Target, but I knew it was going to rain so I backed out. I wish I would have though! I instead wore my favorite pair of pants with some other new things I bought. I will have a video up soon with my haul.

 Do you notice Stella right behind my right hand? She has on her Easter dress too! And she was barking at my heels which is why her head is hanging off of the bed! haha!

We had plans for the Passion Play but as the day went on, nobody wanted to go anymore. I went to Phil's mom's for dinner and had a good time mingling. Phil and I came back to my place and drank some red wine {we are festive!} and rented Argo. I was expecting it to be better.

That was my Easter.

How was yours?
What did you do?
What did you wear?
Did you get a basket?
 
xoxo
Erica

Avon Hit's and Misses.

I used to be an Avon representative a couple years ago and just like any other brand, there are hits and there are misses. I have found both in the bunch I have here. I ordered 3 Eye makeup Remover's (Holy Grail Status! The only remover I use) and they had a 4 for $10 going on with certain lip liners and eyeliners. I decided to go for that too. Let's start with those:

 Glimmersticks Lip liner
Please don't ask why they call them glimmer-sticks because there isn't a speck of glimmer or sparkle in them. As far as Pink Bouquet and Simply Spice go, these are all around a creamy finish. As you can see, these are twist up pencils- no sharpening required. These are both really, really nice. They aren't drying and don't tug on my lips either.

I am pretty fair and the Pink Bouquet was probably the lightest color they had, although it is a medium reddish pink. It has been working really well with all of my nude pinks, normal pinks, and underneath pink lip glosses. Poppy Red is a color of the season {a red pink} and is the hottest shade for the lips this season! Dont forget that with any lip liner, you can transform any lip color. If I wanted to bring a little bit of pink to a nude color, I could use this to do it.

Simply Spice is a medium brown nude. When I get some color, this will work even better with any nude lip sticks I have. I have been liking to use it to deepen any lip color I need to by simply lining the lips and filling in the edges of my lips, leaving the middle of my lips bare for just the lipstick to create some kind of contrast. Like Pink Sugar from Wet n Wild for example. A really, really light nude (almost concealer) color. Don't let the name throw you off!

Glimmersticks Eyeliners
Unlike their lip liner counterparts, the eye liner's actually do have sparkle to them. I think this might be what is making them awful though. They dont pack any kind of pigment punch or glide on easily either. It takes a couple strokes to get some color on the waterline and I am only speaking for Aqua Flash. Trying to get Golden Diamond onto the waterline, upper lash line, or even on my wrist for a simple swatch was impossible. Knowing I have been loving my nude liner on my waterline look, I thought I would give Golden Diamond a go only to be disappointed. You can tell from the swatch how bad that one is. Aqua Flash is good for lining my lash line and is at least better than Golden Diamond for the waterline but not by much. Once I get it anywhere in the inner rim, I doesn't really stay there. It just disappears after 1 hour at the most. If your looking for an aqua color for lining your lash lines, this might be good. Anywhere in the inner rim, you can forget it! I will try them both again and again and if I have any luck, I will let you know in a video, or on twitter, or something. Otherwise, find another line for lighter color eye liners.

{Click on any Picture to make it Bigger!}

If your wondering my thoughts on the Makeup Remover, go to my Holy Grail page. In short, it is really soothing because it is a lotion, takes all my makeup off without tugging or making my eyes red and irritated.

What do Love and/or Hate from Avon?
Let me know in the comments!

<3
Erica

Lucky Penny w/ Fireside Glow

 One trend i've been loving in the nail polish world this season, is the metallic finish. I also have always loved the ombre nail effect. Why not do 2 trends in 1 mani with perfect fall colors, youknowhatimean? That is what I did!

The color underneath is called Lucky Penny by Avon. You could call it a metallic finish, but as Avon put it, it is a sequin finish which I thought was a cuter way to say it! It think it would look like really tiny micro sequins if I were to put it under a microscope. Sequin finish/metallic finish/ sparkly glittery finish, whatever. It's just pretty. My mom actually picked this out. She wanted it because her name is Penny. It turned out to be gorgeous!

The glitter over top is another mom pick (I got it in my stocking last Christmas!) and I knew it would go hand in hand with Lucky Penny. It is China Glaze's Fireside Glow. It's a pretty red with really tiny glitter throughout.  If you have never tried a China Glaze glitter nail polish and you love glitters that are extremely opaque, then I strongly urge you to try any China Glaze glitter. Just pick one. It doesn't matter. As long as it's China Glaze, your glitter will be opaque.

 If your new to the ombre glitter mani, it's simple. Starting at the tip of your nail, paint some glitter there. Wait 10 seconds and then bring it down, with the brush of course, toward to cuticle. That's pretty much it!

 

You haven't already seen Nothing Else Metals from Essie here, go check it out! Another really cool Metallic finish polish!

Have a great weekend! 

xoxo

Erica

Avon Haul

I used to sell Avon & since then, I realize that it is hit or miss. I have tried so much stuff I know what I love vs. hate and I had to stock up on my favorites. Well, not all my favorites but I got the necessities....actually no I didn't. Just 1 necessity. Let's just get on with it.

Chocolate Scrub: Bought it on a whim because it looked like an ice cream cone. So glad I did because I haven't smelled anything this fantastic in a long time. It smells like chocolate ice cream, as the name would suggest. As for the scrub, it is nice as well. Has very tiny granules so your not killing your hands when scrubbing your body. It is also creamy at the same damn time. If your just getting into body scrubs, this would be a good first stop because it isn't uncomfortable to use, as some of them can be. I have just been scrubbing my hands with it because I want to smell like it all day to be completely honest!

Avon Makeup Remover: If I could recommend one thing to someone who has never tried Avon before, this would be it. It has a lotion consistency which I think is the trick. It's really simple. Massage lotion onto lids/lashes. Wipe softly with a tissue. Repeat if necessary. That's it! I rarely find myself having to go back for a 3rd time to try and get the rest of my makeup off. Rarely. With oil makeup remover, I find that it is a little harsh on my eyes. It sometimes can take a lot of scrubbing with an oil based makeup remover. No worries with Avon's. Avon's is #1.

Nail Polishes: Avon nail polishes have always been pretty good. Let's face it, most nail polishes only wear for 2 days without chipping. Any brand. This brand is no different.

Sunshine (Cream Finish)

Coral Beat(Cream Finish)

Lucky Penny (Sequin Finish) 

Lip Tint in Coral

Glazewear Sparkle Lipgloss in Rave

Glazewear Shine Lipgloss in Darling Pink

all a buck a piece

I also grabbed an Ergonomic Eye Liner Brush. I needed one! No Picture. I am forgetful! Oopsie!

here's the Avon Haul video! I hope you guys like it and go check out my channel!

Ok! Was a haul, now it's a review. Whatever. I wanna dive back into blogging and shot out a couple blogs w/in the next couple weeks or so- Ima try my best! Any of them you would like to see over another? Let me know!

Lip Liner/Lipstick Combo

 American Eagle/Wet Seal/Bath & Body Works Haul

Pictures from the week

Kardashain's Nail Polishes

I started my new job this week but having a job never meant no more blog!

don't forget about my Youtube channel!

if anyone else makes videos, leave your channel links in the comments so I can check you out!

Sound good? Good!

see you next time!

xoxo
Erica

Avon Lipstick's

Avon lipstick's are very overlooked in my opinion in the beauty world. They are around the price of a Revlon lipstick (anywhere from $5 - $8) but the downfall is that you can't get them at a drugstore! Call your Avon lady, girl! Or you can Google Avon to find a rep. near you. Don't buy straight off the site because then no reps are benefiting. You could if you wanted to, but why not jump at the chance the help a girl out, yah no?

I have 3 lipsticks from 2 different lines.

could not be any truer to color!

Farthest Left: Twinkle Pink (U4) from the Ultra Color Rich line.

I am pretty sure this is their main lipstick line. This lipstick goes on really smoothly and has a frosty finish on the lips even though it looks the sheerest of them all when swatched on the hand. I would call it a simple medium pink. Your not going to have to worry about it settling in the lines & I think that may be due to the finish. Not that this lipstick is drying (because it isn't) but if your looking something to add more moisture and color check out the Moisture Seduction line!

The 2 lipsticks on the right are from the line Ultra Color Rich Moisture Seduction.

To put it very simply, this would be Avon's take on the "Lip Butters". Except they had a year running start. Me personally, I like Avon's way better then Revlon's version. Avon's Moisture Seduction line are both moisturizing and pigmented. I have found Revlon's Lip Butter's aren't much for pigment...or moisture if I am comparing them to the Moisture Seductions! You see that swirl of white going through the Mositure Seduction lipsticks? That's your balm! Most importantly, the lip balm running through it isn't going to compromise the color at all. If anything, it will leave more of a glossy finish. Plus, these smell like punch!

Middle: Tangerine (P302) from the Ultra Color Rich Moisture Seduction line. 

This lipstick is nothing new on Mind Body Beauty. I wore it when I channeled Kourtney Kardash a long time ago & it was also in a trendy blog post about orange/tangerine lipsticks (my favorite summer trend!). This is a cross between an orange and a medium pink which makes it a nice, wearable, coral. This lipstick would be the most with a cream finish out of the 3 but comes off with a little frost (glossy) on the lips.

Right: Perfect Pink (P01) Ultra Color Rich Moisture Seduction line. 

This lipstick looks similar to Twinkle Pink however, this one is a shade or two deeper in color and I would categorize this as more of a berry color as opposed to a true pink. But this does have that same frosty finish. When I say frost, I mean a nice color payoff along with a glossy, shimmery look.

in the same order as shown above, but with different lighting:

If you wanna order from an Avon Book, I recommend looking up swatches of different colors you want online. Their swatches can be a tad bit misleading.

Before I end this, I wanted to talk about the packaging. It is really nice & durable. As far as the quality of the packaging goes, it reminds me of something that may be sold in a department store. Your not going to have to worry about the lipstick falling out. It is in there, like swim wear!

I have another lipstick that I forgot about and didn't get a picture. Oops! It has been in my purse but I think I will have blog post on it somewhere, sometime because it is so pretty.

Have you guys tried these?

Do you know any other great lipstick/moisture duos? 

Thank you for reading!
xoxo
Erica

NOTW: Shabby Chic Floral Print

No, this is not a nail sticker. Yes, it is extremely easy to do! Do you guys visit The Beauty Department? You should if you like nail art! That is where I got this idea from!

Nail Polishes used: left to right: SH White On, SH Green With Envy, SH Sun Kissed, Avon Speed Dry in Strawberry. This picture is very true to color.

Quick Review: I hear a lot that it is hard to find an opaque white nail polish. Sally Hansen's White On was quite opaque after the first coat! I did 2 coats just because I always do, but if your in the market for a good white, here's your polish! Plus, it's only like $2.

You will also need: Nail Polish Remover, a piece of paper, & A small eyeliner brush you do not use. They used a normal paint brush. Just make sure your brush is tiny or has a fine point. I used an angled liner brush that I got with the Wet n Wild cream liner. It worked perfectly. I used the very tip of it and had no problems whatsoever.

1. Paint your nails the base color (white) 
2. When that dries, add a dab of the first color you want to use (pink) to create your flowers on the piece of paper.
3. Pour a little bit of the nail polish remover in the cap so it is easily accessible. 
4. Dip your brush into the nail polish remover 
5. Transfer the nail polish remover you have on your brush to the pink nail polish on the piece of paper. Mix it together.

-The idea here is to mix 1 part nail polish with 1 part nail polish remover. Once you did so, you will create little flowers on your nails, obviously. The mix will make it look like a faded/watercolor type of floral print.-

        6. Use a dabbing motion when your creating the flowers as opposed to a sweeping motion. That will make them look faded even more so and you may even be able to skip the last 2 steps.    
        7. Once your done with your first color (pink), repeat steps 2-6 for the next 2 colors.  

-It doesn't mention to change out the nail polish remover with each step, but I think that would be ideal. You will notice the nail polish remover will be tinted the colors of your nail polish and we wanna stay away from mixing colors at all costs!-

-I used the same brush for all the colors. If your going to do the same, just be sure that your wiping the brush off really well between each color. I didn't use any soap/water/brush cleanser to clean it off. I simply dipped the brush into the nail polish remover, then wiped it off with a tissue until there was nothing on it.-

        8.  Now your going to add a dab of the white nail polish on the piece of paper. Mix 1 part white nail polish and 2 or 3 parts nail polish remover. 
        9. Make the slightest little dot at the center of each flower with the white mixture. If you have used enough nail polish remover, the white will slowly spread over the flower when you put the drop down, which in turn makes it look faded. I only did this step with some of the flowers. (see step 6)

Ok! Now just add a top coat and your good to go! If your more of a visual person check out The Beauty Department for pictures to go along with the directions! I do recommend checking the real tutorial out, But still read my tips which are in italics to have an even better understanding! I hope I helped! I have a feeling im all over the place! LOL!

Good Luck!

xoxo

Erica

Current Obsession: Rose Gold!

I am most likely not the only one obsessed with everything rose gold. Even though all I can do is lust over a Micheal Kors watch, and other rose gold jewelry, we can all still find it in cosmetics! I have put together a couple of rose gold beauty products that have been hiding right under my nose the whole time. 

Stila Eyeshadow in Jezebel: I just got this for free with my Birchbox points! I love Stila eyeshadows. They are so silky with beautiful pigment. This shadow will not disappoint if your looking for a way to wear the rose gold trend on your eyes. This is a medium pink/copper color, aka rose gold. I have heard this be compared to Expensive Pink by Mac.

Nyx Jumbo Lip Pencil in Brown: This should not be named Brown. It should be named Rose Gold. That is what this color is exactly! I haven't tried the jumbo lip pencils until this one and I must say I like it quite well! It is somewhere in between a lip gloss and lipstick. I think the medium pink with a slight metallic sheen color makes it pass as a true rose gold lip product.

Avon Slick Tint in Glossy Rose: Personally, for less than $1 these blow the Revlon Lip Butters out of the water! It has about the same pigment as a Lip Butter in that it has a tint. Not to be confused with a lipstick. That aside, it has a strange smell. Nonetheless, leaves a rose gold tint to the lips. If your looking for a subtle way to wear the trend I say go for this baby!

Avon Mirror Shine Nail Polish in Blaze: I have had this forever. aside from the color, the formula is peculiar. Your first coat can be your last as it is extremely opaque but it has the tendency to "flake" off, if you will. I recommend a top coat, as usual. It definitely has a metallic finish with shimmer making it pass, in my book, as rose gold. This I got in the clearance book a while back so they may or may not still have these for sale. You can always check Ebay or Amazon! I have 2 other Mirror Shine polishes if your interested in seeing them all, let me know.

Here's your swatchadoodles:

L2R: Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Brown/Avon Slick Tint in Glossy Rose/Stila Eyeshadow in Jezebel

Have you been jumping on the rose gold bandwagon? 

xoxo

Erica

17: Trendy Tangerine Lips!

Today was "a style/item that screams you" for the challenge & what I am really all about is trends. A lot of people I know don't like trends & others don't think it is something you should even be proud of! What?! I love them! I love following them, I love making them my own, I love being the first one to know about them & apply them! I know all of you girls can agree with me. That's why I love you all :) My favorite trend has been nothing more than the color of the year, Tangerine Tango, on my lips!

this is the true color! yum!

I have 2 orange lip colors. Avon's Tangerine (fitting) & Revlon's Siren.

You can see Avon's Tangerine in action when I channeled Kourtney Kardashian a while back. Lately I have been really loving Avon's lipsticks. They have really nice packaging & their lipsticks are both pigmented & moisturizing. I will speak on Avon's lipsticks as a whole later, but for know, let's bask in all of the tangerine glory. Dorky, I know. Anyway, this line is called "Color Rich Moisture Seduction". Sooo much better than Revlon Lip Butters!

Revlon's Siren is even better, being a true orange. This is what I have been wearing on a daily basis. Like every day. It surprisingly reminds me of a matte lipstick. It is not marketed as a matte lipstick, however. When you apply it, it doesn't feel like it is drying or moisturizing. Somewhere in the middle. As the day goes on, I notice that my lips get slightly dry. A chap-stick will fix this problem really easy. It's truly not a problem as long as my lips stay orange all day. & they always do! I have put it to the test a number of times & it lasts for anywhere up to 3-4 hours I would say. This has been my current obsession. God, I love this lipstick. I wanna bathe in it. I dunno how that would be possible but yah no.

(left) is Revlon's Siren. You can see that is truly a bright orange! (right) is Avon's Tangerine. If you play it safe more often than not, this one is more wearable as it is a true tangerine, but with a pink undertone. Which ever one you go for this season, you can't lose! They are both amazing!

I esp. love this color because 1. It is summer. Bright colors are a requirement. 2. If I am wearing these I do not feel apt to wear much makeup. Concealer, Blush/Bronzer hybrid, eye liner, mascara, & maybe a matte crease color but other than that it is an easy way to make yourself look done up with out putting in the time. & honestly in the summer, who has the time to do anything but hang out outside? & blog of course. :)

Are you rocking the orange lips these days?

whats is your current obsession?

xoxo

Erica

 

Best of 2011 in Review: Avon's Smooth Minerals Foundation

Hey there! I was going to do a whole post of best 2011 products but I haven't really reviewed any of the products I love but I have included them in favorites. I figured this would be a lot more helpful to give an extensive review on the stuff I loved (& still love) last year. Be on the look out for a couple more of these in the next few weeks!

As one of my absolute favorites I cannot believe I haven't mentioned it yet. I use this on a daily basis weather it's using it over a liquid foundation or using it all by itself on those days I want to let my face breathe. Here we go:

Skin Type: I have skin that is ance-prone and for the most part, oily. It can become dry sometimes. My skin has a mind of it's own! I also have acne scarring and discoloration.

Smooth Minerals Powder Foundation by Avon

"Get the perfect amount every time! No more mess, no more spills. Our innovative design dispenses a single application…with no waste. Medium coverage. Natural luminous finish. Now includes mirror. Made with pure mineral pigments for luminous color. Free of talc, oil and fragrance so it’s great for sensitive skin. .2 oz. net wt." -avon.com

Price: Regular price is $12 but 9 times out of 10 you can find a sale. In this case, they are on sale right now for $7.99

Where to Find it: I recommend finding a rep in your area on Avon.com because I percentage of the price will go to her (or him). If you order from a rep, you don't have to pay shipping either. I have had experience selling avon, and I do know that I liked to put all my orders in at once. So if someone ordered from me on the 8th of the month, and I dont put in the order until the 18th, they wont be getting it as quickly as they would if they simply ordered online.  If not, you can order it online from Avon.com. One con about it is that Avon isn't sold at any store, once in a blue moon you may find a kiosk in your local mall but that's not too likely. So there are pro's and con's to each way of going about it.

Thought #1: They mention it's medium coverage but I do get pretty full coverage - I guess a perfect way to describe it would be medium to full as it covers discoloration, makes my skin all one tone. Some breakout's that I have on my face tend to create a red bump so I like to use concealer because Smooth Minerals powder will not cover them fully.  I do like to wear this over liquid foundation, but I prefer to wear it alone. It is extremely light weight when I wear it alone.

Thought #2: I personally have 2 different shades that I like to mix together to get the perfect shade for my skin tone. I highly recommend using 2 shades as our skin tone changes depending on the season and other variables. I have been using the same 2 shades all year round and how ever I need to mix and match they have been doing so perfectly. 

Thought #3: Something else I really love to do is mix it with a liquid foundation. I used to mix it with Revlon Colorstay as it was a few shades too dark a few months ago and Smooth Minerals blends perfectly with it to create the perfect pigment. The next picture is Soft Ivory Smooth Minerals mixed with my Neutrogena Healthy Glow

 here's what you get when you mix it together- not saying this is the color of my skin tone by any means, I just wanted to demonstrate that it will blend well and also get the color you want

Thought #4: The packaging it comes in is a great idea as it dispenses just enough for 2 application's for me.  I really love it because I feel like I am not wasting any of it. It has a stopper to dispense just enough. I find that I need to shake it 2x, which is fine. It does say to just simply shake the package for powder to dispense, but I like to tap the top of the package on the counter- It works better. The next picture I have is in the shade Light Beige

Thought #5: I like to apply this with a flat top kabuki. I do not tap off the excess when I apply it. I find that it works much better when I don't. Maybe that's the trick to get medium to fuller coverage as opposed to how is is advertised, medium coverage.

Thought #6: When I wear it alone, it doesn't look cakey or powdery on my skin. It seriously makes my skin look flawless. I actually get comments from time to time from people that know me saying my skin looks flawless.

Overall: It is my favorite powder foundation but the one con about it is that I cannot easily go down to the drugstore and pick one up, I have to order it too, which I can't say that I mind too too much. If you are willing to order it and wait a week or so. I am running out and I luckily know an avon lady so I will be putting my order in soon enough, along with some other must haves.

I hope my review was thorough and simple! If you have any ?'s, please feel free to leave a comment! Other wise I would love to know: 

What is your favorite powder foundation? What is your favorite Avon product?

Hit Pan & Empties

L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base- As my very first face primer, I thought it was pretty good, but I do hope there are better one's out there than this. The formula has a whipped cream consistency & has a really silky feel to it. Once this stuff is applied, it dosen't feel too heavy or make my face feel even more oily (than it can get)- it feels really light weight and nice. With that said, I just don't think it gives my face an even texture or fills in large pores. It is kind of expensive for such a small tub ($14 for .5 oz) and because of that, I was only using a dime sized amount and I don't feel like it was doing a great job filling in my pores. Perhaps I wasn't using enough...? If I wasnt using enough, then I think you should be getting more for your money. Other people LOVE this primer, so maybe that was the problem. With or without this stuff, my face make-up stays on for the same amount of time.

Rice Face Wash from Bath & Body Works- I bought this face wash like 7 years ago. It was recommended to me at the store because I do have acne prone skin. When I first bought it, I didn't like it. The reason for that was because I would tend to get it in my eyes and it fucking burned!!! I was using Proactiv in conjunction w/ this back then, just an Fyi. I just used it up recently because it was my "back-up" face wash. I can't really say that it helped with my acne and it was a bit expensive at around $20. Does it clean my face? yes. However, I think you can find something just as good, that is much cheaper, that if you do get in your eyes, it's not a big deal....unlike Rice. No Dice.

Ouidad Styling Spritz- I bought the whole package about 2 years ago. It came with the shampoo, gel, the spritz & also a how-to book with some clips to use when your styling. I do have wavy hair which I can curl just by scrunching & blow-drying , so im always on the hunt for different products that help natural curls. With that said- I loved this spritz! I always used this along with Suave Mousse (which I love) the first day. This stuff, first of all, will hold my curl and make them more defined along with adding some volume. It dosen't make my hair sticky either. On the second day, I would just spray some of this in my hair and blow dry upside down while scrunching and it made my hair look just as fabulous as the day before- in fact, I think I liked day 2 better!  If you like the "wet" look, I wouldn't recommend this to you, because that isnt what it does. I personally dont like it, so this stuff is perfection.

Avon's Clearskin Blackhead Eliminating Daily Astringent- I really like this toner because whatever makeup or dirt I did miss when I washed my face, this stuff takes it off and makes my skin really clean which is exactly why I buy a toner. I know that some toner's can be drying and I dont think this one is, but again I have oily skin. If you have dry skin, you may wanna check into it. Also, this stuff does burn (which can be a sign of drying) if you have an infected pimple or anything like that which I kind of like because I feel like it's killing bacteria and cleaning deeper. If your sensitive to that burning sensation I cant say I recommend it.  

what's on the bottle?

Cashmere Lotion- I am in love with stuff. The small size (which is the hand cream) was $10- that's expensive. With that said, I am buying this again once I have the money, but this time im gunna go with the butter that comes in the tub. I think this is the only lotion I am willing to shell out a lot of money for, because I love the scent. It smells buttery & creamy. The scent will linger on your skin for half the day too. Next time your at B&BW, take a whiff of this! And oh yeah, it moisturizes too, that's def. a plus!

p.s.- this picture of the Cashmere Hand Cream was actually taken when I first got it- I took a pic of it but it didnt come out very good! sorry guys!

Mark. Keep it Going Long Wear Liner & Shadow in Entourage- The one I have has a matte black side and a silvery/white side with a bit of sparkle. The black I used all the time, as a cream liner, and I absolutely loved it! It didn't dry out until just recently and I bought it in January. Now on to the white side....It was absolutely drying from the first day. It didn't go on smooth like the black side- it just kinda clumped up- no matter if I used my fingers, a brush, or whatever. I think the reason for that has something to do with the sparkles inside- it just didn't work out for me. I since then bought the Wet -n- Wild cream liner for $4 in black- so I got the one color I wanted- a matte black. The Mark. one runs up to $10 and half of it dries out quickly. I do think they are comparable- WnW and mark.'s black side I mean. Both creamy and nice.

Almay Dial Up Mascara & Liner- This was a 2fur- I got both in one pack. The liner was okay. I dont think there was anything special about it- just a standard black liner. I prefer a kohl liner (Loreal Kohl Liner is great!) as it is much more creamy and dosen't tug at my eyes like some liners can....*cough* As for the mascara, again, it was pretty standard. Nothing special about it. The whole dial up thing just controls how much mascara actually gets on the brush so it's a bit gimmicky. I dont think it held the curl on my lashes like I expect out of any mascara. I like a mascara that defines, separates, & elongates. This stuff just put a bunch of the product on my lashes and they weren't looking "full"...just clumpy. I recommend Mark.'s Scanda-Lash if your looking for the same things out of your mascara.

OK So there's all my empties- What have you guys used up recently? let me know in the comments below! Have a great and thank you so much for stopping by!