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.
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.
Before I start showing you the things I bought, I wanted to tell you guys about poll on the side bar of my blog for a give away! Guys, please help me out and vote! It would mean a lot to me (: I already have a few things bought for it, but I am wondering 1) if you would be interested in a Pinterest challenge giveaway + 2) What kind of things you would like to receive from a give away. So please be sure to go over to the side bar and cast your vote! Thank you (: Other than that, let's get started
Target has some pretty amazing candles that I wasn't aware of. Red Velvet Cake, Lemon Meringue, Sweet Spun Sugar {cotton candy} Lily Gardenia (will be my next purchase!) and Sugar Blossom. I love florals for spring and summer so naturally Sugar Blossom is a must have for me! It smells like a floral sweet tart. Floral candles always remind me of perfumes, and this one reminds me of a body splash you would find at Victoria's Secret.
Safe Haven was on sale for like $5 at Target! So far, it is an easy read and I am going through it pretty quick and that can only mean that I like it! I was thinking of picking another one up for my give-away...what do you think?
from 5 + Below....
I bought 2 nail polishes. Both from Wet n Wild. From 2 different lines.
Sugar Coat's brush reminds me of Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure Line- it's flat and goes to a point. The polish also reminds me of that line, it's really nice, doesn't bubble up, and after 2 coats is covered. This is more of a sheer polish {not super sheer} it reminds me of jelly nails in that respect. I hear so much about this particular color I couldn't pass. It reminds me a lot of Kim-Pletely In Love from the Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kollection, without the shimmer in it and Sugar Coat is more opaque than Kim-Pletely In Love.
Sparked I had to buy because it reminds me of my absolute favorite {well, one of my absolute favorite's!} glitter nail polishes...Essie's A Cut Above but Sparked doesn't have bigger glitters in it like A Cut Above. They are all tiny. I love it anyway.
Wet n Wild Lipsticks
Are a little bit drying, but they are really pigmented. I bought Dollhouse Pink {reminds me of Narcissus from NYX} and Pink Sugar {clearly a nude}
On to something I was exited about but am not liking. I am sticking to my traditional sock bun. I mean, it seems legit. It's mesh and scratchy and seems like it would hold on to your hair really well. It just didn't work. It was hard to get all my hair around it because it's really tight. And once I do, my hair doesn't cover all of the donut up anyways. So if your hair is thin, it won't work. If your hair is thick, it wont work. It's a lose-lose. I feel like I am always reporting back with some dumb crap I have tried recently. Ima try and tell you all about some good stuff from now on (: hopefully!
Watch the video: On top of everything here, I speak on a couple more favorites and purchases. Hope you like it (:
Side Note:
I announced on Twitter that I bought a DSLR Camera (Canon t3i 18mp) on QVC complete with 2 different lens for a steal! This is the exact one I bought so be ready for some pretty amazing content!...I hope, anyway! haha! If you know anything about DSLR's please let me know what you know with any links you have or any help. I am a total newbie and need all the help I can get
One More Thing: Off the subject but have any of you seen End of Watch? Really good movies sometimes stick with me and this one is sad but really good. A slow start {me and Phil were like "ok wtf is this dumb shit?"} but towards the end everything starts making a lot of sense. If your into gangster and cop movies {my favorite} you just might love this on. Maybe ill open up a movie blog....nah!
k!
thanks for reading
and don't forget to vote in the sidebar for what you want in the giveaway! I need your help!
It has been a very crazy start to the fall. Lots of ups and downs. October is one of my favorite months because of my birthday (the 8th!).
I also love it for 2 more reasons: 1) because I know this will be the last of the nicer weather to takes walks and be outside and 2) it is closer to Christmas!
Unfortunately, the restaurant I was working at closed down at the start of October and I am at a loss *again* looking for a job. I have been praying I can get one in enough time to celebrate Christmas! It is my favorite holiday. This will be an extension of my beauty favorites. Check those out here.
♡Fall Favorites♡
Arm Candy:
Maybe this would qualify as a beauty favorite but whatever, I already uploaded the picture here. A trend I never really got into until recently. I have been buying cheap arm candy at every chance I get! If your loving this trend too, you will love my Forever 21 jewelry purchases!
Purple Jeweled Bracelet: Walmart $1.99
Pink Gummy Watch: JC Penney $10
Black Shamballa Bracelet: 5 and Below $2.99
My Birthday:
It was my birthday on the 8th!! Thanks to my mom for making dinner, my b/f's mom, Barb, for making me this delicious cake, my b/f Phil for the presents and taking me out to dinner (Red Lobster all you can eat shrimp! Holla!), & my bfff Alex for the pumpkins, & candle! I love you guys so much! We had a fun relaxing night, talking, drinking wine and hanging out. Alex brought the other puppies Lexi, Precious (Stella's mom), & Chloe (Stella's twin sister). It was 1 of the best birthday's yet! I was so lucky to have all of my favorite living beings there! 4 dogs & 3 other people besides myself. The dog to human ratio is sometimes at least 50/50. Most of the time, we are out numbered by dogs at 2/4. We love our puppies!
Pumpkins:
Alex
again, thank you girl! Have yet to carve these babies! I actually kinda
like them plain. They look rustic sitting on the janky back porch! LOL!
Jack-O-Lantern These are at the Boardman Park. I guess all the school's had a competition. Some of the best 1's were done by pre-schoolers! Wow! They look awesome! One good thing about Youngstown Ohio is the parks this time of year!
Seasonal Beer:
I love trying seasonal beers. There's something about fall beers that
gets me exited. I am usually a wine drinker any other time of the year.
At my old work, they would rim the beer mug with cinnamon and sugar, then add pumpkin flavored beer. Perfect drink if your having a Halloween party! I bought a 6 pack of Sam Adams version of Octoberfest. I think that is my favorite Octoberfest beer.
Walks In The Park:
1 of our favorite things to do is go for walks in the park. There are so many good parks around here and lately we have been going to a park called Boardman Park. For the past couple of week's, the park has been really active. On top of the Jack-O-Lantern display, all of the decorations for the witch walk are up in the trail. They had Octoberfest + they are doing pancakes with homemade maple syrup which comes from the barks of trees. Here's some cute fall pictures from 1 of our walk a couple weeks ago. The other night, there were so many leaves on the ground that you couldn't even see the path!
♡Favorite Fall Candle(s)♡
Cinnamon Sugared Donut Candle!
I took back my Frosted Cupcake, which
didnt smell like anything when I lit it. I
exchanged it to get my favorite fall scent from B+BW. I love this! It's a
spicy, sweet, sweet scent! If your not into the super spicy scents, but
want to stay true to the season, give this 1 a smell! And I promise
this has a high scent throw!
♡Favorite Candle #2:♡
Air Wick Candle:
The candle Alex got me for my birthday! She knows me too well! It is from Air Wick. This candle doesn't have much of a smell, but I have been lighting it every single night because it changes colors! A perfect present, I believe, is something so gimmicky and cool that you probably would not buy it for yourself. This was right on the nose! LOL! I think this will be in some peoples Christmas boxes this year!
♡Favorite Nail Combo♡
Essie's A Cut Above:
That's the rose gold glitter you see. I love it so much. Not a great mani on my part but I had to share that gorgeous glitter again! And the light pink is from Wet n Wild from one of the older, cheaper nail polish lines. I don't know the name because it wore off and I dont recommend the polish. It got gloopy real quick. I just really love the color. Any baby pink will do for me!
♡Favorite Book♡
Helter Skelter: Maybe you didn't know, but I love anything having to do with criminal law. Example, some of my favorite shows are Lock Up, Forensic Files, First 48, Snapped, & The Investigators. For a short time, I wanted to become a psychiatrist for people on death row. I want to get into their minds. I also had a slight obsession years ago to know everything there was to know about the whole Manson era. If I could go back in time, I would go back to 1969 and go the Haight Ashbury District, I would attend Woodstock (I would bring food for myself! Im 1 step ahead!) & make it back in time to be at the Manson trial. You may already know I have always had a huge obsession with Hollywood + how movies are made. I love when a set looks "fake". And when it comes to Hollywood, the older the better! I just love it! I would probably have to take my time traveling device to Hollywood circa 1940's too. Im getting off subject...
Even though I watch Forensic Files and can even get into court t.v. as long as its a high profile, juicy case, court t.v. will not capture my attention for too long. I was afraid Helter Skelter was going to be reminiscent of court t.v., reciting a bunch of legal documents from the trial and I wasn't going to be able to follow- considering it was written by the prosecutor himself. There is some legal jargon, but it's really easy to read. The last book I have read this fast was My Friend Leonard. If your into criminal law, the late 60's, or your into the whole Manson trial + more: give it a read!
♡Favorite Puppy♡
Stella: Cant leave her out! She's a big girl now and her birthday is coming soon!1 (or 7) year(s) old! I love her. I know, I am a weird dog lady. My idea of a great birthday was having my 3 closest ppl at my house along with the 4 best dogs I know! Alex has Precious, Lexi, & Chloe. Lexi and Chloe are twinsies as they were born in the same litter. Said litter came out of Precious. Lexi's the only 1 not blood related. Lexi is also the goodest dog. The min pins are little brats! LOL! She loves other animals (kitties and puppies) but doesn't like strange people too much.
Phil holding her ears down- haha! She looks so cute and silly!
She has on a coat and a sweater: "I cant put my arms down!"lol!
♡Favorite Song♡
Long December
Old school, right?! How many remember this song? I used to love this song and completely forgot about it. I love when I all of the sudden remember songs I forgotten. I love any 90's rock. It is some of my favorite type of music. This song hits the spot if your craving a 90's rock song. Next song will be by Matchbox20....anyone?
♡Favorite T.V. Show♡
The Challenge. this is my favorite show on. I have been watching it since Real World Road Rules Challenge 2000. I watch it every season & lately, have liked it more than Real World. When it is time for a new season, I always kick myself for not following the last season of the Real World a little more closely. MTV has the best reality shows in my opinion. Teen Mom. Jersey Shore. Second best would be TLC. How can I forget about Sister Wives, 19 Kids and Counting, Toddlers and Tiara's, Little People Big World, or Breaking Amish. I love t.v. This is my absolute fave show, though. This video is for the trailer.
Thats it! If you want to know my beauty favorites, then click.
What are favorite things about fall?
and by the way, Happy Halloween! thank you for stopping by! xoxo Erica
Hey there! I wanted to do a couple of these kinds of posts where I talk about what I want for Christmas. Partly because I wanna share with you guys and give you some ideas and partly because I don't wanna forget my wishlist! There has been so many books I have been wanting!!!! FYI- be prepared: Meet Makeup will be taken over to do Christmas gifts hauls, Christmas gift ideas, etc. What ever else I can think up! I am not sure if you guys know that Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday! And this is exactly why. It inspires me to be creative in every which way: parties, presents, blog posts, decor, fashion, makeup, food. I mean anything I can think of I try to make it Christmas oriented...so yeah. Hope you guys are gunna love it! Dont worry tho, because I do have a review or 2 coming up and also a cyber monday haul too. I also have a FOTD coming up as well...soon enough I am hoping to find the time.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen- (novel) we actually just watched this last night and in a lot of ways it reminds me of The Notebook. I cannot say it tops The Notebook but it is pretty similar so if you haven't seen this movie, you need to! As soon as the movie was over I knew i had to read the book next.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks-(novel) I have seen the movie a million times but I have never read the book so I really want it- I am positive it is going to be amazing.
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks- (novel) Same author as The Notebook and me and by bf love this movie. And I cry every. single. time. It is so freaking sad, that I have to be in a mood to watch it but I cannot wait to read the book. Also, have you guys heard the soundtrack? It is amazing as well.
Million Little Pieces by James Frey-(novel) I have read My Friend Leonard by him as well and it is my favorite book to date. I read it in a matter of 2 days. My Friend Leonard was seriously a book I couldn't put down and I always hear people say that about books and couldn't truly relate until I read this one. This book is really good about love, hardship, addiction- it is a must read. My Friend Leonard is the sequel to Million Little Pieces so I will be reading it backwards. Oh well.
Queen Pin by Jemeker Thompson-Hairston and David Ritz(novel) I heard about this from Makeup by Mel from Youtube and she said it was a good one. As she mentioned this is about drugs, sex, & violence and is a true story. Right up my alley- sounds like an excellent read.
Nars Makeup Your Mind-(makeup book)Dont think I need to mention what this is about. We all want this one.
Lauren Conrad Style Guide- (fashion book) I always loved Laguna Beach & The Hills but I was always team Kristen. Nowadays, Lauren Conrad is one of my favorite (affordable) designers so I think I would really love this one. You can get her clothes at Kohl's btw.
Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten-(cooking) If you have ever watched Barefoot Contessa on Food Network then you will know of Ina. Her show is the only cooking show I can sit through and keep me interested. The name Barefoot Contessa was actually adapted from a '60's movie about the culture in Paris, among other things that I have no clue about lol. But yeah, I want her cookbook.
Fabulosity by Kimora Lee Simmons-(style/how-to)I really just love her. She is so glamorous from her clothes to her homes that I want her book. What beauty blogger wouldn't?
Ur Infinite Power to be Rich by Joseph Murphy- (financial) I have read (a few times, actually) Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach and I seriously learned so much on how to save and spend money. You too can be a shopaholic and actually save money for retirement and vacations, so as far as Smart Women Finish Rich goes, I highly recommend it. Even if your a boy, I think it is still perfect. Too much to explain in this little paragraph but it will give you worksheets to tailor your spending and what not and to help you figure out what is important to you and it also helped me turn my dreams into goals by putting every detail on paper and mapping it out for me.
Twilight-(novel)I haven't read this yet but everyone I talk to tells me that I must! So yeah, I wanna read it. Although, this isnt at the top of my list. Have any of you guys read it?
Exfoliator- I usually always use an exfoliator and this week is no exception! I have been loving my scrubbies! Lately I have had a lot of dead skin. I think it's because it is getting cold (damn) here in Ohio. I love the Hawaii Coconut one because it does create soapy bubbles and it is creamy. There's isnt anything like C.O. Bigelow's Lemon Body Scrub just because it is a true exfoliator. They both work great, and I got both of them at Bath & Body Works.
Fall Candles- I am loving the new candles that they have! My favorite one (besides the coconut leaves one- it smells so fresh, really watery if that makes sense, and coconuty!) is this Marshmallow Fireside one. They had a s'mores one as well but I just liked this one much better. The scent is warm with a musky note, sweet, and a bit spicy. The leaves one and the kitchen spice one were a little too spicy for me, so if you like spicy scents w/ sweet mixed in, you have got check this one out
DIY Hot Chocolate. We had marshmallows left over from our bonfire so I thought U would put them to good use. Here's my DIY Hot Chocolate Recipe: This recipe is both healthy and cocoa powder is good for you. It has a bunch of antioxidants so by all means, sip away!
1 part Hershey's Cocoa Powder
1 part coffee creamer (in Sweet Italian Cream! yum!!)
half part sugar
dash of salt
5 parts heated milk
a couple huge marshmallows
Reading- So im almost done with Jenna Jameson's How to Make Love Like A Pornstar- quite long but for the most part, a pretty great story. It's her autobiography and if your not offended easily, I would say it's a pretty good read.
Instant Feng Shui As you know, I went to school for Architectural & Interiors and I did a report a few years back on Feng Shui, so I bought some feng shui books. I popped them back out of my book shelf just because it has been a while since I read them ('07)- I love feng shui & interiors, for that matter.
Each Day a New Beginning- This is a meditation book which has daily reads that your supposed to read at the beginning of each day to give you some sort of motivation. I love meditation books! This one, out of all of them that I have, is my favorite. This one is for women. It is a great daily read. So inspirational and if im having a bad day, I always think back to my daily read I read that morning. Out of any of the books I mentioned- this one is the best
The Sims 3- If you don't play the Sims- you need to! It is Barbies for grown ups- Im a huge Sims buff....if there ever was such a thing haha
Rivals- This isnt a picture but I have become obsessed-
-I think it's safe to say I am a little obsessed with this show! I have always been a huge fan but I just recently found (& joined) a forum for all things RW/RR Challenge related!
-I have also been watching the pod cast that Robin & Katie host live on thursdays. The podcast is really cool because it's like something you would see on you-tube. Cast members skyping about the show.
-And oh yeah....I have kinda been watching old Challenges from years ago on you-tube- yeah, im pretty obsessed
I absolutely LOVED this book Whoever has not read this and likes to read really needs to! I read half of it about 5 years ago and put it down half-way for some reason. Idk i guess it was just a slow start, and yes when I read it again, it was off to a slow start. Don't let that sike you out tho! KEEP READING & PAY ATTENTION. The ending is the BEST! The last 2 people he meets in heaven are the best 2. I thought he was going to meet somebody else and the end is a wonderful suprise. Its also a great love story. I am not joking when I say I cried my eyes out, it was just so cute! I wish I could ruin it for everybody and just tell you guys what happens but there's no way I would do that so this is def. one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite. My next book is either going to be Twilight (I hear it's an awesome love story, even for the most un-girly-est girl) or A Million Little Pieces which is the prequel to My Friend Leonard which is probably my number 1. If you have any suggestions please comment below! Thanx for stopping!
