Current Obsession: Vanilla Bean Noel

How many obsessions can I have? A lot, apparently. I wait all year for this scent to come out. I could never pick out wtf was in it besides vanilla. But I knew it was more than that because even though I love bakery scents, im not one to just go for a plain vanilla body spray. It smells too...vanilla-ey. I like a fragrance with depth, a fragrance with volume. 

Vanilla Bean Noel is really unlike any other vanilla scent with the name "Vanilla" in it I have tried. For example, the cotton candy and cupcake body sprays don't count. Most of the time, scent's like that do have a note or two more then your average vanilla.

Vanilla Bean Noel smells like vanilla, yes. But it also has something in there that reminds me of an ice cream fragrance or something. It is much sweeter than just vanilla and smells like a creamy bowl of.....cotton candy ice cream? When I read the bottom of my Vanilla Bean Noel candle, here's what it said:

yep! It's that caramel mixed with cream in there that makes my brain go right to a bowl of  creamy ice cream topped with sweet caramel. It's weird to me that sometimes you can smell the creaminess or tartness of the scent. How do they do that? Yah no? It really boggles my mind thinking about how in the world they get something like cake batter extract....Who knows. In all fairness, this is a light hearted beauty/lifestyle blog, and not a very scientific one! Thank-God!

Here's a quick breakdown:

The Lotion: My personal favorite! It smells just like the candle description, which is just what the candle smells like (see previous paragraph). I sometimes wear this alone, without either of the body spray or shower gel and it holds it's own. In fact, this is the sole product that glues the 3 of them together if I were to layer the spray & wash with it. Plus, the lotion is the lingerer of the bunch. I apply and re-apply once every few hours and I get a whiff every know and again. 

The Body Wash: Runner up to the lotion. It smells just like the lotion and the candle does (see pre-previous paragraph). Worn with the other two on top of it (the lotion and body spray) really brings out all of the notes of the fragrance, not missing a beat. Worn alone I would say it is so-so. Smells great at first but isn't much of a lingerer without the other two, or the lotion at the least.

The Body Spray: If I were to judge the whole entire Vanilla Bean Noel line on this product only, I wouldn't be too impressed. My bff Alex swears it smells exactly like the lotion but amped up by 10. To me, I smell nothing but that bland, boring, one note, run-of-the-mill, average joe, vanilla scent I was talking about earlier. Without any of that yummy dessert-in-a-bowl finesse to it. However, layering it with the other 2? Your golden!

The Candle: Smells just like that description I gave (or the one on the candle. Your choice!) And because it's only a medium candle, the scent throw doesn't go farther than my bedroom. That is only because of it;s size as far as im concerned. I love this little baby. I wanna big one.

If I had the money....

I would buy 1 of each bakery fragrance Philosophy has to offer. Why have I passed them up for the past few years? I was in Ulta today and we spent a few minutes smelling each one. My cousin always get's Philosophy 3 in 1's and she always helps me write down all of the recipes. I remember we spent an hour one 4th of July doing just that. Maybe if Philosophy ever goes on sale.

I bought all of this stuff plus two 3 wick candles at Bath & Body Works on Black Friday for a total of around $20 for everything. I love those types of sales. Here's the rest of the stuff I bought in this video. To find out more about the 3 wick candles I bought click me

What's your favorite Christmas fragrance?

Do you make videos too?

talk to me!

xx

Erica

7 Deadly Sins of Beauty TAG

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Hey! I am sure we have all sen this tag floating around. I know I have! It looked really fun but everyone kept on answering w/ the same answer's! What Gives? Some things I suppose are inevitable but other questions, I really wanted to get creative! Of course, not everyone's Q&A's were exactly the same, & I obviously loved the idea of this tag, so if you do have a video or a blog post about, link me up, yo!


1. Greed: What is your most inexpensive/expensive makeup item? 

Inexpensive: I have lots of inexpensive things! That is stuff I live for. Anything from the E.L.F. Essentials line is $1 & they have plenty of excellent products on that $1 list. I would say I got the most bang for my buck with the ELF Essentials lipstick in Classy & the Eye Shadow Quad in Drama.

For $1, you can't ask for anything better with this lipstick. It applies nicely & it smells really good too. I also hear it is a good dupe for Angel by MAC. hmm...I cant say for sure because I dont have Angel but I would say it's true because I watched a great video on it. They also smell amazing!

 here's a swatch: sorry about the shadow- boo! You can tell it's a mid-toned pink. Pretty

As for the Brightening Eye Shadow Quad, it is really great! There is a white matte that is actually pigmented, a couple really sparkly glittery silver colors (those are always good to have on hand) and a black w/ a little bit of shimmer. Check out the swatches: The swatches are on my boyfriends hand (: thank you Philly

Most Expensive: Even though I got the Naked palette for Christmas, I still know it is the most expensive makeup item I do own. I am not going to go on and on about it because we have all seen it a few times now! I will say I really do love it and my favorite colors are: Sin, Virgin, Toasted, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, & Hustle. So pretty. Between my mom and I, we get a lot of use out of it. My mom even thought it was an outrageous price, bought it anyway, & is happy she did so nowadays. That's proof that it's a good investment!

2. Wrath: What Beauty item do you have a love/hate relationship with? Revlon Colorstay. Now let me explain. This has been my absolute favorite foundation that I have ever tried. It worked so well for me for over a year now. When I recently purchased my new bottle I was feeling like it wasn't working for me. Sure it covers but I have a lot of redness that Color Stay used to be able to cover up & now it doesn't do that as well. Granted, it still covers just not as well as I would like it to- like it used to. It's really strange. Maybe it's the new concealer I am using which is Revlon's Photo Ready Concealer

another beauty item I have a love hate relationship with is Nyx Narcissus! God, I love that gorgeous color! My favorite bold lipstick! And the smell? Amazing! I was wearing it every single day I loved it so much. Then, something happened to it. I think it was because I used to put it in my apron every day and re apply every hour at work where I was running around in a hot restaurant. I think its probably time to buy a new one. For now, I have a love hate relationship with it. Love the color. Hate when I go to put it on, I get it everywhere. I usually just dot it on my lips then smooth it out w/ my finger or q-tip. You really cant put it on like regular lipstick

What item has been the hardest to get? A great nude lipstick! I was trying so many nudes until I found Revlon's Lip Butter in Creamsicle. The one I really missed the ball on? NYX in Summer Love. It looks awful on me. You would think I would have known that just by looking at it but I obviously didnt! lol- I personally would like a nude lipstick in lipstick form as opposed to a butter type of thing. Any suggestions for me? I ws thinking Nyx Orange Soda

3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products? Since I have been picking 2 for almost every question, why stop now? Especially when both of them are a true tie.

My first one is the Bodycology Hazelnut body scrub. You can get a big tub of it at Wal-Mart for like $6. It literally smells like it is supposed to be slathered on to my toast as opposed to my body. Not to mention it is a really great scrub. I actually like it better than any of C.O. Bigelow's.

My next one is Dark Kiss body butter. I will let the description speak for itself. - "A blend of black raspberry, Mirabelle plum, amber, dark vanilla bean, & sensual balsam". That's how Bath & Body Works describes it. When I smell it, it makes me think of a blue kool aid flavor with a really warm note, which is probably the amber. It's hard to describe. It's smells delicious.

4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness? Lashes. Absolutely, without a doubt. It doesn't help that I am not that great at applying them. I do have lashes that are pretty long, esp. when I am using the right mascara, I sometimes feel as if I don't need them. But when I really want them, I start putting them on, they annoy my face and eye balls to no end, so I take them off. Practice makes perfect & most of the time I don't even attempt to put them on, sometimes I grin & bear it, but most likely I take them right off! Pictured are Elf lashes. The only ones I have right now, actually.

5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence? Black eyeliner on the waterline. I don't leave home without it, actually. When I first started with makeup, all I would do is apply black liner on the waterline and apply some mascara & I would be happy. To this day I always use at least mascara,black liner, & arch my brows. But if I am not wearing my liner, I feel very peculiar. Here's some of the ones I am using now that I like a lot.

front to back:  Mark. No Place To Run, Styli-Style, Smashbox, & Revlon Colorstay

6. LUST: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex? Hair, Eyes, Ambition, Kind, Polite, Loyal, I like a guy that is a homebody,I hate that loud obnoxious guy at the bar. Or the guy that is a party animal. I especially like a guy that will go shopping with me or to a makeup party if I can't find anyone else to go. My boyfriend? Is all of those things.

7. ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift? I think this calls for a quick little wish list! The ultimate gift would be a makeup brush set.

1. The ultimate brush set that would be perfect for me would be the Performance Eye Kit Brushes simply because I do have smaller lids to work with and even the brushes I have now are sometimes too big.

2. The next thing is something I just came up with but I would love it as much as anything else. A Nars eye shadow palette. Any of them, honestly. I always hear how Nars eyeshadow's are so amazing & unique.

3. The Sigma Precision Brushes I really would love because they are unique face brushes that are all kabuki type of brushes.

4. I have wanted this Too Faced Face palette since it came out a few months ago. It is right up my alley. I would use the fuck out of it! haha

There you have my 7 Deadly Cosmetics! - lol

Link me if you did this tag as well

Till Next Time,

Erica

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Absolute Favorites of 2011

I just wasn't really sure how exactly I was going to approach this post for my 2011 favorites. I probably took 200 different pictures of different things I have loved last year and I was going to even do a series but I felt like that still wasn't narrowed down. I felt as if I was cheating. So, here are my absolute favorites from last year. I think these type of posts are most helpful as they are not like monthly favorites. Monthly favorites for me are the things I have been reaching for the most that month or new purchases that I have been loving. This annual favorites post will be more or less my holy grails. Things I know I will be buying over and over again. Staples in my collection.

Proactiv: Proactiv has done wonders for my skin. Even though I mentioned in my New Years Resolution post that I wanted to explore other skin care and I do but I cannot forget about Proactiv. I had really bad acne and ever since I have used Proactiv, my face is extremely soft and pimples are few and far between. Now I just need something for dark spots and anti-aging. If you have acne prone skin, try Proactiv!

Laura Gellar Baked Blush in Brighten in Honey Dipped: I got this in my Birchbox and I used it for most of 2011. It does have a little bit of shimmer but I think it makes a perfect contour/bronzer as the shimmer isn't over bearing. It also blends extremely easy and actually looks like a shadow when I contour as opposed to just bronzer and i think that is why I love this stuff so much.

Revlon Colorstay: I love this foundation because it is such full coverage. They mean Colorstay because this stuff stays put! It just really makes my skin look flawless and I haven't found anything to date that does everything this stuff does.

Smooth Minerals Loose Powder: I actually did a review here recently. I wasn't sure if I was going to do this post or not so I really wanted to mention it. In a nutshell, when I am in a rush this is my bestie as it takes 2 seconds to layer on with a flat top kabuki. It isn't full coverage, more on the medium to full coverage side but when I wear this alone (with concealer & without liquid foundation) I get compliments on my skin. It makes my skin look flawless and soft.

ELF Radiance Enhancer in Spotlight: This is my go-to highlight. It is extremely creamy, blendable, & cheap! I did a review here.

YBF Beauty Eye Brow Pencil: Another Birchbox discovery and I know this brow pencil has won many awards. The pencil is so stiff & un-pigmented (which would be characteristics I usually shy away from when it comes to good cosmetics), but because of these characteristics, it looks like actual brows with the right flick of the hand. Love. I actually ordered another with the today's special on QVC and I cannot wait to show you guys everything I got!

Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Milk: A matte white base that will amp up any look. I used this almost every day underneath shadow and over primer as it really does make the shadows a bit truer & more pigmented, I guess would be a good way to put it. It is perfect for the inner corner and under brow bone. I love this little pencil. I do have other Nyx Jumbo Pencil's and I just favor this one when it comes down to it. I feel like it has the most pigment as well.

 Nyx Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo: Love the color. This was hands down my favorite color to wear on my lips in 2011. (couldn't you tell by it being the lip color on every FOTD?) It is a bit drying but if you can find a lipstick that won't take away from the color of Tokyo, it is the perfect color. Which brings me to my next favorite:

Maybelline Born With It: Over Tokyo. Everyday. I just loved it so much. If you like pale pink/nude lips you need to try this combo

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips for Blue Eyes: I keep on meaning to go back and grab the one with the taupe and purple colors as that one is right up my alley. This palette wasn't in the color range I usually go for, but since it was on sale I grabbed it. I am so glad I did because the colors are so pigmented and even though they aren't my faves to use, I used it at least 3x a week. It really says something about the quality of the shadow. I would honestly put this right up to Urban Decay's Naked palette, compare pigmentation & integrity, and call it a tie.

 

 Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum: This was the first hair product I ever bought as my hair stylist told me it would wonders for my frizzy little head of hair at 13. I have tried other serum's like this one but I always go back to it. It really does tame all the frizz and make my hair really shiny. I think it can be a good substitute for a heat protectant. This isn't how it is advertised or even their claim but I do forget to add heat protectant at times and my hair goes undamaged- I think it is the skinny serum.

Shea Cashmere Hand Cream: I would have picked up the body butter if it wasn't so expensive. This stuff is so rich that I bought it in February of 2011, kept it in my purse for the whole year and im on my last couple drops now, a year later- I was amazed. It also smells divine. Like butter and creme brulee. I wanna put it on top of some toast. Im not even joking. I will be buying another hand cream since I just got a lot of body butters for Christmas and I need something for my purse. Every time I pull it out and use it people ask what it is because it smells so good. The scent sticks for a while as well. It also is extremely rich and will rescue any person with dry hands, or skin. I have used it on my legs countless times.

Dark Kiss Body Butter & Spray: I love the scent. I think the butter, spray, & wash all smell slightly different when it comes to Dark Kiss and I would have to say my favorite is the body butter. Either way I have been using it all year, both body butter and body spray, and I never get sick of it. It smells amazing. The body butter isn't just nice because of the scent, it is extremely moisturizing. If you have tried B&BW body butters, you know they are awesome. Here's the scent description from B&BW:

"Master perfumers have blended voluptuous berries, tempting blooms, sensual incense and night musk for this daring and seductive fragrance. It is a modern tale of forbidden love that will unleash your most primal passions.

• Top Notes: Bergamot, Incense, Mirabelle Plum, Black Raspberry
• Mid Notes: Amber, Burgundy Rose, Geranium, Peony
• Base Notes: Dark Vanilla Bean, Labdanum, Vetiver, Sensual Balsam, Musks" 

If I had to describe the scent I would say that it smells fruity and tart. It actually reminds me of blue kool aid in a way. It also has an extremely sweet, warm note in it so I can really smell that vanilla. Yummy! I love it!

Sally Hansen's in Pink Blink: Another pastel pink obsession. I have bought about 5 pale pink nail polishes all year, as they all kept on drying out from so much use. I can't say I have a preference when it comes to brand, just as long as it was pastel and pink, it was doing the trick. I have also had Finger Paints Blushstroke Blush, & Essie in French Affair among a couple other pastel pinks I can't remember the names to.  This was the last one I bought and I really do like it alot as it dries extremely fast, however it is all dried up so I really need another. I wanna grab the new OPI collection, the Nicki Minaj one in Pink Friday- OMG so pretty!


Ok so there my absolute favorites from 2011. These are the products that I used mostly on a daily basis (depending on product, of course). The stuff I know I will repurchase. The things that kept me going in my cosmetic journey last year! This next year I have my eye on some brands I have never tried before: Origin's, Nars, YSL, Chanel to name a few. All names my wallet is cringing at....yes, my wallet cringes! she talks too! dont judge me.....

Hope you all are having a great night and till next time

thanx for reading!

xoxo

Erica J