All About Blonde Hair

As of summer 2013 I am officially blonde. It only took me a little over a year to get the color blonde I achieved. I have read up on so many blogs and websites. Watched so many tutorials and catch all videos. Asked hair dressers, professionals, and enthusiasts alike. And let me tell you, there is plenty of info to benefit from out there! I must say I am quite happy with my hair right now. That goes for color and the health of it. It could stand to be a little thicker but that is sacrifice for over-processing your hair. Otherwise, my hair is healthier then I ever thought it could possibly be as a blonde.

This video encompasses everything I know about blonde hair.

How to achieve the color

Avoiding Bleach

Repairing Your Hair

Smoothing the cuticle

Keeping it soft and shiny

Keeping it healthy and gorgeous

Never go to a salon again! This is how I went from a darker brown all the way to platinum blonde. Here's everything you need to know!

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Products Mentioned:
.Ion High Lift Color 305215 High Lift Natural Blonde HL/N 12.0
.Salon Care Professional 40 Volume Creme
.Garnier Nutrisse Extra Light Ash Blonde {White Chocolate} 111
.Garnier Olia Lightest Cool Blonde
.AG Sterling Silver Shampoo Mild Toning Shampoo
.Redken All Soft Conditioner
.Mane and Tail Conditioner
.Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum {or any serum for that matter}
.Paul Mitchell Forever Blonde Dramatic Repair
.Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray
.Silk Elements Heat Protection Spray

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References. Learn More!

The Natural Haven Bloom
Black Girl Long Hair
Natural Beauty Wellness
How to Get Bleach Blonde Hair At Home. Maintain Platinum Blonde Hair
Drugstore Dye Job - How to Dye your Hair Blonde At Home

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If you have any questions leave them down below.
If you have some other tips, leave those in the comments too!

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Disclaimer!!!!
Yall know I am just a normal who went from a dark color to light blonde at home, right? Obviously, I am not a professional. But don't worry! I learned all of this on my own and did all the experimenting for you so you don't mess this up- You can do it! Please watch the videos and read the blog post's I have listed here for you. If you want to take care of your hair, these are great places to start!




I know all my of beauty bloggers have some great tips. Leave them down below? 
Thank you!

take care,
Erica

High End Hair Products: Shampoo and Conditioner

Last month Ulta was having their liter sale. At that time, I was watching a Bentley Blonde video on how she keeps her hair platinum blonde that she made a few years back. She mentioned Ulta was having a liter sale back then, and that anyone with damaged or highly lifted hair should "run" to the nearest Ulta. It just so happened that I used a high lift hair dye {form of bleach} on my hair a few days before that. This was also when I realized Ulta was having that same liter sale they had years ago. It was obviously fate.

They also had the two liters that she mentioned I needed. Fate, I tell you. One of them was the AG Sterling Silver Shampoo. The other was Redken's All Soft Conditioner.

AG Sterling Silver Shampoo:

I am new to purple shampoos and I have only tried this one and Clairol's Shimmer Lights. I may have to compare them later. This shampoo is no joke. It is a deep, dark purple. It scared me, initially. I thought it would get my shower all purple. This did not happen though. I find that it doesn't stain neither my skin or shower. Once you start lathering it {and yes it does suds up really nicely} into your hair, it turns into a pastel purple. Your supposed to massage it and leave it in your hair for at least 1 minute. If you look on the color wheel, purple is opposite of orange. Anyone that is an unnatural blonde knows that they do not want those orange brassy tones in their hair. Just like you learned in art class, purple counteracts orange. That is the idea behind a purple shampoo.This stuff really does help neutralize brassy tones. I honestly never see any brassy tones. Years back when I was blonde in high school, I wish I would have known about this. It would have made my hair look much better and like it was either done by a professional or genetics. This also has AG's CARE complex. That stands for Color and Radiance Enhancing Complex. I don't know what it is, but it is good.

To prove that this should be an addition to your shower routine if your blonde, I have had a couple people ask me about my hair. When I tell them I am not a true blonde, they are surprised to learn that. I do believe I can attribute this to many different things I do, but my purple shampoo is a must have.

Redken All Soft:

I knew I had to buy AG's Sterling Silver Shampoo, but I was on the fence about the conditioner. It was only when I learned from Wendy at Bentley Blonde that Redken's All Soft shampoo contains an ingredient called Gold Camelina. Camelina is only found in conditioners you get with your box hair dye as far as she and I know. It is a natural ingredient that has exceptionally high levels (up to 45%) of omega 3 fatty acids. It is also rich in antioxidants and has a lot of protein. You can also use camelina as a cooking oil for all of these benefits. Above all, all of these things are great for your hair. I find this conditioner really nourishes my otherwise dry, over-processed hair. It is a really thick conditioner and it smells and feels luxurious. Along with my Sterling Silver shampoo, I smell like I just walked out of a hair salon. I love that smell. Kind of like an herbal coconut. I am in love with this conditioner. I wish I could only use All Soft, and All Soft only, for the rest of my life. Think of this as the Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque only in conditioner form. Except better.

Do you have any life-changing shampoo, conditioners, or hair products in general?

Do you know of any other hair products containing camelina?

As always,

thank you for reading

xoxo

Erica

Favorite Paul Mitchell Products + A Bonus

Typing that out hurt a little just because I dont have my absolute favorite hair product which is Paul Mitchell on this list. It is simply because I am out of it and at the Buy2Get1 free sale at Ulta they were having for PM products, the shelves were wiped clean of it: The Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum. However, I have been using this and it is cheaper and just as good as the Skinny Serum.

I wait until a good sale to get Paul Mitchell products. They are pricey! I went for the Skinny Serum and came out with.....not the Skinny Serum.

Express Style

Round Trip

Liquid Curl Definer 

I talked about this a month ago on Elle Sees as a guest blogger and also once here in the same blog post. So, check that out if you want more information. It is a great product for wavy or curly hair. It gives me silky, defined curls with a little scrunching. It is extremely light weight and I wouldn't believe it if you told me that you can over do this stuff. I swear the more you add, the better your hair looks. This is the cheap one at $12! I got it for free at the sale.

Forever Blonde Dramatic Repair

KerActive Blonde

I just recently went blonde {more on that later} and I have been obsessing about a) how to get that perfect blonde color and b) how to keep my hair healthy. I can't wait to tell you all about it but for now, I need to speak on this product. This is for highly lifted and bleached hair {check and check}. Professionals keep on telling me a need a keratin treatment. Keratin is a protein that is naturally in your hair. When you bleach or highly lift your hair, you are stripping your hair of protein and opening the cuticle. An opened cuticle causes split ends, fizzy hair, and is just bad all around. It was the reason I didn't want to go blonde. "This treatment helps seal the cuticle and replenishes dry depleted hair." It has a ton of good stuff in it: Safflower Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil and exclusive KerActive protein. I have only heard of a Keratin Mask in a salon so this is great to find something of this merit at Ulta. It all sounds really fancy but is it helping? Your supposed to spray it on damp hair but I couldn't resist when I first bought it and I sprayed it on my dry hair. The ends of my blonde hair felt as if I didn't put them through anything. My split ends weren't sticking up like usual and it just felt really soft and nice. I have been using it and loving it. That is a long winded explanation of this stuff. I just love it.

Curls

Twirl Around

Crunch Free Curl Definer

This is a swirl of hydrating cream and smoothing gel which is to "create soft, shiny frizz free curls that won't get crunchy or stiff." It is supposed to define, separate, and tame unruly curls and waves into perfect ringlets. Honestly, if you want any of those things Round Trip works fabulously for them. Maybe this will take some trying out a little more. I always use my Suave Mousse when I am going for curls so I need to try this without my stand by mousse. However, it does help create curls..... so does Round Trip. Round Trip is cheaper too. It feels sticky in my hands but once my hair dries, it does have a nice curl to it. It is a great product but for the $20 some dollars I think you could skip it and go for the Mousse and Round Trip. I do think that if your going for tighter ringlets, this could be something nice to use, but not necessary. I promise to get back to you in video form later down the road.


 Bonus!

Alterna
Bamboo Luminous Shine Mist

When I bought these things, the sales lady threw in one more product. That never happens to me. I guess it's when you spend a ton of money. $40 on hair products is a lot for me! I was really thankful I got a freebie. It's a spray that you spray on your finished dry hair for it to look polished and shiny. I like it! It adds a great finishing touch and it says it will eliminate frizz and fly-aways. It's a really nice finishing spray, however it isn't totally necessary. It smells very herbal, if your into that kind of organic scent.

What's you favorite product from Paul Mitchell?

What about your favorite hair product in general?

xoxo
Erica

Mind Body Beauty for Elle See's // Favorite Curly Hair Products

Eeeek! I am really exited to have my blog post on Elle See's, right now. That's right! I am a guest blogger over there for the day! Elle is seriously amazing. If you haven't checked out her blog and love beauty blogs, what are you waiting for? I really mean that- When she announced she was looking for guest blogger's, I was all over it. I feel humbled - haha! Elle, I can't thank you enough!

Elle's Blog
 Here's my blog post

Ok so when I get out of the shower, I do not towel dry my hair {thank you to Elle for that tip} I dry my body, then wrap a towel around my shoulders after I wring my hair out of it's excess water. As soon as I do that, I use John Frieda's Frizz Ease Serum. I also really love Paul Mitchell's Skinny Serum, but Frizz-Ease is targeted towards extra frizzy hair/curly hair. Works like a charm to really tame any frizz you might have. It starts the foundation for sleek, soft hair.

Directly after that, I take a good amount of Miss Jessie's Quick Curl's Curl Cream. I got this in my Birchbox awhile back and at first, I hated it. It made my hair so sticky! It's because I wasn't using it right. The trick is to use it while your hair is really, really wet. Don't waste any time letting your hair dry. I use a tablespoon amount {or 2} and scrunch it through my wet hair. This is when waves start to turn into curls. The curl cream is sticky, but don't let that throw you off. If you apply it to wet hair, your hair won't feel gross once it dries. Did I say apply it to wet hair yet? (:

Big Sexy Hair Root Pump is my next step. I may or may not use this. It's really 50/50. I do think that the mousse's I use after really help to give my hair volume, but if I am feeling I want a little more lift, I apply this directly to my roots and scrunch my hair upwards. I don't like to use this in my hair when I am not blow drying it. It makes for some serious product build up and does nothing for my hair if I do not blow dry.

Paul Mitchell's Round Trip is my favorite of this bunch. When my hair wasn't bleached blonde, it worked even better than it does today. It gives me really pretty, defined spiral's. It isn't sticky like Miss Jessie's Quick Curl's Curl Cream either. It's pretty awesome. I actually use a bunch of this stuff. I don't think there is any limit. The more, the better. Again, I scrunch it through my hair.

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Thickening Mousse. Anything that says thickening on it, I am sold. This mousse really helps to hold to curls in place and also builds a ton of volume. I use 1-2 palm fulls of it and start at the roots. Really work it in! Then start working it down my hair shaft in a scrunching motion.

Suave Mousse Extra Hold: I have been using this forever. Since the 8th grade for this hair style. Even though this hair style has changed dramatically over the years, I never do my hair like this without this mousse. I use 1-2 palm fulls and scrunch it through my hair.

Now I blow dry my hair upside down. But I don't blow dry all the way. I do it until it is 3/4 of the way dry. If you saw me at this point, you would think I did this all on vain. Then another half hour or so passes, and you see that my hair has actually gotten more voluminous and it dries to really nice tousled curls.

Here's some examples:

2nd or 3rd day hair:

Let me know if your inclined to try this out! I love it because it is easy, fast and fuss free. In the summer, I don't want to mess with hot irons only for my hair to get damp/wet or just fall from the humidity and heat. I never have to worry about my hair becoming flat or looking awful mid-day. I can even take it into a few days without washing it. After a while, you wont have to work as hard for tighter curls. It's the beginning of the summer {the start of when I do this hair style} and by the end of the summer, by curls will be even more defined. After months of styling my hair like this my hair starts to know what it is supposed to do, and will look better the each time I do it. I swear you can train your hair.

Thank you so much Elle for letting me take over for a blog post! Elle See's is one of my favorites yah no!
xoxo
Erica

Using CVS Extra Bucks {$18 total}

I am not all that great with coupons, but I do know how to save a buck or 2. Thanks to Nouveau Cheap, I found out that it was a great week last week to use extra bucks. The trick is to do separate transactions.

Transaction #1:

Spend $14 on Physician's Formula and get $10 back in extra bucks:

I knew this was a perfect time to buy one last thing for my giveaway coming up. I wanted to get something worth some money. I just felt like it was a sacrifice and that is something I like to do from time to time. Even though it's hard. But you feel good when you buy something for someone else instead of you. And it's karma. It isn't very hard to find something for $14 from this brand. This bronzer was $13.99 but it worked luckily. The first transaction was the biggest one. I paid full price - $14.

Transaction #2:

Spend $10 on Sally Hansen get $5 back in extra bucks:

 I bought 4 nail polishes. This is my favorite brand of nail polish. I have been wanting to try Pacific Blue and the glitter top coat, Perky Pink. Perky Pink reminds me of Julep Maven's Portia, only a pink version. I needed a new Mint Sorbet. Coral Reef was a no brainer. Looking back, I should have also bought Lacey Lilac, the pastel purple instead of Mint Sorbet. Anyways, this totaled out to $12 total. I had my $10 extra bucks from the first transaction. So I paid $2 for this transaction

Transaction #3:

I have been wanting to try this Spray It Curly stuff. I have naturally curly hair and always love to try new curly hair products. I haven't found anywhere that sells it yet except for CVS so I decided to jump on it. It was around $6 total. I spent my $5 extra bucks and ended up paying like $2.

That brings the total to $18. Pretty good, huh?

I would have been $32 if I would have paid full price. Fuck that. I know better! 

Have you ever had the chance to use your extra bucks like this? 

 Do tell! 

and don't forget to check out Nouveau Cheap every week to find out how to get deals like this. It's a fun time.

xoxo
Erica

Sunday Thoughts...

So, I have been meaning to do a 5 For Friday blog where you show 5 things or talk about 5 things on Friday. 2 Friday's have came and went and I didn't get it done! Instead of calling this Five For Sunday {it doesn't have a nice ring to it} Im going with Sunday Thoughts {clearly}. Plus, I have way more than 5 things here. Think of this as a haul. Or review. As always I have went overboard for Mind Body Beauty. It's turned into some weird obsession. Every single thing I buy or make, I feel like I need to take a picture of it before I use it. Then I get too exited and use half of it. My mom knows that basket of new things is off limits until photos are taken. Alex and Phil are used to seeing red and pink streaks down my arm. They know those are swatches and I am not suicidal. Those are my confessions. Let's move on. Although I would be open to do a Behind the Scene's type of blog post for those of you who are wanting some tips, or are just curious. I know I always am.

Anyhow...

 I bought the Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips from 5 and Below for $4. I was going to do a review but I didn't like these. At all. They just didn't work out for me. They did not look smooth or like nail polish. They just looked like a sticker. And they peeled and chipped off within an hour. On the other hand, my bfff Alex loves them. She says she doesn't have to worry about her nails chipping or anything for 2 weeks. So, they may work for you! But not for me.

I have been love Its a Trap-Eze! from China Glaze. It's a really pretty glitter polish with a white milky base. If you apply one coat, that white color turns clear and you have the glitter. More than 2 coats, the white shows up. I have been liking to put it over top Sally Hansen's X-Treme Wear nail polish in White On

I have been also loving this nail combo. China Glaze's It's a Trapeze! and Re-fresh Mint

I bought my mom a just because present. My resolutions had to do with making my world a better place and I am a firm believer that the blessings you give will come back on you ten fold. It says it in the Bible. Even if you don't believe in the Bible, try it anyways. You will feel good about it. Doing things for other people have been making me happy. That's not the only reason I bought my mom an oatmeal colored button-less cardigan. She has been wanting a reverse mullet style throw over for a while {I just made that style name up. You may use it at your own risk. People might think your weird..} I found it at Burlington for like $7! Here's everything else I found at Burlington.

Phil bought me a kitchen play set made out of chocolate for Valentine's day. How adorable and funny is that? You really can't play with it because it will melt. So I did the obvious thing and ate it. I didn't even share. So much for making the world a better place with my whole blessings thing.

Since I have been on a kick with my smoothies, I needed a portable tumbler {I almost spelled tumblr} to take with me to work every morning. They have a whole isle dedicated to to-go tumblers at Big Lots. I found this one for $3. It's been doing the job in style ;)

Omg these mixer melts, scent shots, tarts, whatever you want to call them are so awesome! Scentsational is a brand that you can find at Walmart and they are only a buck or 2. But when you melt them, they will fill up the whole room. Especially this one. It smells like clean laundry and soap. And it is so strong. Like good strong. I melted it in my room and as soon as you hit the steps in my 2 bedroom home, you could smell it. I have went through 7 tea lights and finally it lost it's scent. That's pretty good. I also mixed it with my last piece of Limelight from Tyler Candle Company Mixer Melt. I have been saving Limelight for years because it smells so good. I also love TwentyFourSevenGlam and French Market from Tyler. Lipstick sounds like a fun one too. I found the Tyler Mixer Melts at Hallmark a couple years ago. I should go back and buy more. They are my favorite. 

 Ever since I found out that these type of hair tie's will not leave your hair with a dent in it, I needed to try it. I am a server at a restaurant and it requires me to have my hair up for the day. Although these hair ties did a better job at not leaving a dent in my hair, I wasn't all that impressed with them. At least they are bright colors and just something different than your run-of-the-mill hair tie. Makes life a little bit more exiting.

Those are my thoughts!

Happy Sunday,

xoxo

Erica

The Things I Loved in January

Hey! Time for my favorite things from January! I have adopted a lot of new techniques this month which you will see. I also have been doing a little something different in terms of my normal blush colors. Lot's of good stuff this month! I hope you enjoy (:

Products Mentioned:

John Frieda -Luxurious Volume- Blow Dry Lotion- Root Booster
2 rules to make this give you really good volume while still making your hair really soft. 1: add to the roots of wet hair. 2: blow dry with a big round brush. I love it (: I didn't add a picture because I feel it was getting a little bit crazy but in the collage above, it's the blue bottle right in the middle (obviously)

YBF Correcting Cream/ Illuminating Cream

 Another new technique I have been using is adding this correcting cream underneath my eyes as a concealer and adding it to the high points of my face. It brightens really well without adding shimmer. This correcting cream is a good one! Creamy, opaque, but still thin enough so it wont settle in my fine lines. Im wearing it in the video.

 Hard Candy Concealer Pencil:

 I have been using this as an eye liner for my water line! It has been working great as a nude liner. Who woulda thought? This actually came with the Glamoflauge Concealer as a little bonus. It doesn't irritate my eyes.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner

Maybelline Bouncy Blush in Fresh Pink

Also wearing this in the video

Elf Studio Blush in Mellow Mauve + Giddy Gold

 Love both of these! Both colors are really different than any other blush I have. The rest are pink, haha! Giddy Gold is my top blush. It is so pretty on my cheeks. They both are a nice change up! Click on the link to go to my full review on a bunch of the ELF Studio Blushes.

Wet n Wild Single Eyeshadow in Creme Brulee

Mally Age Rebel Eyeshadow in Sugar

 Be on the look out for a full review on all of the Mally stuff from Mally's Favorite Things Kit. That includes everything I will be talking about in this video/blog post from Mally.

Mally Volumizing Mascara

Mally Lipgloss in Punch 
Review coming soon on lots of Mally stuff!

ELF Essentials Lipstick in Flirtatious
Perfect with the lip gloss. They are exactly the same color. The Essentials lipsticks are really creamy and pigmented. For $1, it doesn't get any better.

Favorite T.V. Shows

Catfish: 

I have been loving this show! I can't believe all the Catfish they actually found but I am always so happy when they document a true love story...well, as true as your going to get! Something about Nev I love. He is my crush right now.. He looks oddly similar to someone I know who is my boyfriend....hmm. Also, the music they play on that show is so good! 

Family Guy : 

I am not sure if you guys know this about me but I am a huge fan of Family Guy! It just might be my absolute favorite show and has been for years. The new one about "The Giggity Wife" was hilarious! South Park coming up a close second of course. Oh yeah, I can't forget about American Dad! We call Stella "Roger Dog" because she looks like Roger the alien when she sits up. She's so cute!

 Online Favorites:

Twitter:
Has been one of my favorite things! With #HowtobeHappyJanuary and #Jadorelavie hash tags, it has been a lot fun connecting with people, staying on track and staying inspired. I am taking this high, happy, motivated energy well into February! Howboutchu?

Lumosity:
One of my new years resolutions was to stay healthy: healthy mind, body, + soul. That includes the brain! Lumosity has been really fun. It takes a total of 5 minutes a day and it's easy and fun.  You can play 3 different games a day for free- as many times as you want. If you want full access, it's something like $7 a month. I just do the free games. 

Favorite Bloggers:  

Beauty:
Elle Sees:  
This girl is freakin' creative! She always has themed blog post's and things going on over on her blog. Right now is Love Week  

Healthy:
Bess Be Fit:
I just found her a couple of days ago but I am a big fan of hers. She is always making up really good workouts and recipes and how she uses Photoshop {or Gimp} to bring a certain finesse to each one reminds me of how I like to post recipes here. Am I even making sense? Just go check her out and you will see what I mean!

That's just about everything! I have some food favorites as I have been back to eating healthy but this would be way too long if I added those too! Thank you for reading!

xoxo
Erica

Broke Girls Gift Guide + DIY Gift Basket's (Part 1)

Here's the stuff I got for my Mom, Boyfriend, + Best Friend. I figured it would be helpful (or fun) to share all of the gifts I got. As you can tell by the title, I am a broke bitch! But, I know some pretty good ways to save money and make a nice gift out of a few little things. I never say "oh, everyone's budget is $X amount" To me, that's silly because if I can find a great deal that doesn't meet the exact budget, that's fine with me! Nobody is going to know exactly how much you spent on them. It's the thought that count's, people!

This time of the year, they have little gift baskets everywhere....boring! I don't know about you, but I like to make my own! it's so much more fun that way!

Gift #1:

To: Alex.

Alex is my long time best friend who shares the love of stuff with me. Meaning, when we get together we will look online for hours going from nail polish, to jewelry, to dog clothes, to recipes, to ornaments

The girl loves Hello Kitty and anything pink. I found the cookies with strawberry cream, the vanilla and raspberry cotton candy, & the cleansing hand wipes (sweetly scented) all at 5+Below.

Alex shares my love of beauty items, and I can't tell you how many times she has said she wanted a matte bronzer. I got one from Wet n Wild in Princess on sale at CVS. It looks more along the lines of a satin as opposed to a true matte. The good news is that there isn't any chunky, loud glitter.

She swears by the Sally Hansen nail strips and says they will last on your nails for 2 weeks. I found those at 5+Below as well.

She just recently moved into a house and is re-doing her room pink and black. The wall decals were perfect and I found those at Big Lots. I didn't realize until recently that they were chalkboard(s) and came with some chalk! How cute!

She really tries her best to stay on a healthy track. Last year, I bought my dad a juice and smoothie book and her and I sat around for like an hour writing all the recipes down, haha! Plus, I feel like when you have things like that that your exited to use and put into action, your more likely to do so and in turn stay healthy + reach your goals! Plus, she loves smoothies. Another 5+Below purchase.

The tumbler seemed to go hand in hand!  Not to mention, we are both always stealing each others cups to take with us on the go. One with a straw and lid is perfect on the go and something she actually needed. I found some other tumbler's at 5+Below and Wal-Mart but none were as cheap or as cute as this one. Here's to another great buy at Big Lots!

total= $24

Gift #2

To: Mom

Hardest to shop for. Good thing she gave me a small list I could refer to. The things on her list included Clinique foundation and lotion & some bras. I bought those, but I will say I splurged a little bit on her. That woman deserves it!  Not that Alex or Phil do not, but yah know. Im partial to the lady that I was inside of....moving on. Here's the rest of the cheaper, stocking stuffer, type of gifts.

She needed a new perfume and when I smelled Angel in the store, I swore it smelled like popsicles! Idk wtf but the deal was 2 for $15 at Victoria's Secret plus I had a $10 off of any purchase. I paid $5 for 2 mini's, which makes 1 $2.50.

My mom's name is Penny and she loves anything having to do with the name. Since Lucky Penny from Essie was already on my wishlist, I figured I would buy it for her and then get a chance to use it later too! But, when I compared that with China Glaze's Magical, I couldn't pass it up. It is more of a taupe and definitely more cooler in color and has a sparkly+metallic finish. Im Sold. It's all mine. Wait! This is for my mom.....Oh yeah, from Ulta.

Joico shampoo and conditioner I have heard really, really good things! It is also really, really expensive! I felt like such a luxurious product, fit perfect for a Christmas present for my mother because she would never splurge on it without ever trying it to begin with. They have a deal going on at Ulta, 5 things for $10. This shampoo and conditioner (could also be used as a deep conditioner) were included so pretty good deal.

A Notepad. Always comes in handy. Found at Big Lots. They have these everywhere. You guys already know!

Eco Tools Makeup Brushes were something she really needed! She has 1 blush brush and she always is using mine so I figured know she has some of her own (: I bought these at Marc's which is local but you can get these at any drugstore.

Big Sexy Hair Root Pump was a part of the 5 for $10 at Ulta. Can't hurt.

Redken Shine Flash 2. Ever since I got this in my Birchbox months back, she was the one that used it up! I have had this present on the back burner for a while. Full price for the smaller can is $8. Oh well. I guess some things are just worth it. I got it at Ulta.

Milani Lipstick in Orange Gina was a part of the CVS beauty clearance. She loves her corals. Hurry and check your local CVS! They may still have things marked down! Here's what I got!

Aloe Vera towelettes were found at Big Lots for $1. That is how my mom likes to take off her makeup. Good deal.

 total $34.50
 
 dont forget about my video!
if your wanting more gift ideas & if you like watching videos, check it out! I hope I have time to post part 2! finger's crossed! If not, have a Merry Christmas!





Ok! I am going to stop here! I can officially wrap these babies! Ill go for part 2 in the next couple days. Fingers crossed that we get just a little bit of sun while im off the clock so I can photograph the rest! I am off to make the rest of my cookies! There will be a blog post for that too! Can I fit all of this in before Tuesday? I hope so! The holiday season isn't over until January officially in my book, anyways.

And alleluia! The world is still turning and we didn't get sucked into a black hole! Thank you Jesus! I knew you were gunna wait it out! lol

Happy Holidays! Don't forget to slow down and enjoy it!


if you need more idea's, go to my DIY Gift Basket's blog post from last year. I did some different stuff!

Erica

♥Wal-Mart Shopping Trip♥

Hey!

I have been doing some shopping here and there for the past couple weeks! I seriously love shopping! Shopping for clothes, makeup, books, & pointless things I probably don't need. I love shopping online. I love fake shopping online. Putting stuff in my cart and not buying it...yah no, just in case! I even love grocery shopping! I am the 1 that does the grocery shopping. Looking at different ads, calculating it all out, & finding inspiration from foodie blogs is my specialty! (: I think it would be fun to do a grocery shopping haul & maybe I will one day, but for now let me show you what I got at Wal-Mart!

1. Suave Mousse
I cannot tell you how many times I have re-purchased this. I have been using it on my hair since the 8th grade! First off, it smells amazing and you + other people could smell it throughout the day. It creates volume when added to the roots. I have wavy hair and what I have always used it for was for the days I wanted my hair to hold my natural curls and waves and didn't feel like straightening it or using a curling iron. I scrunch this into my hair, while my damp head of hair is flipped upside down (this and a couple other great curling products) and blow dry. The wetter the hair, the better to control frizz and give you natural curls. It's not going to make your hair look wet, or crunchy if you know what I mean. It is such a staple, I don't think I have ever even mentioned it here!

2. Hard Candy Matte Polish (Matte-ly in love):

I have wanted this for weeks! I have seen a nail blog or 2 put it over shimmery polishes, glitter polishes, & duo-chromes and have really wanted to give it a go. Right now I am wearing it over Blue It! from Sally Hansen. It's so pretty! If your on my main page & have a chance to scroll down, then you already know there will be at NOTW or 2 feat. Matte-ly in Love! As you can see I have been a little obsessive with nail polishes and nail art!

3. Hard Candy "Glow Away" Bronzer and Highlighting Duo:
It doesn't look like you get very much of either colors, but I have been looking for a nice bronze highlight. We will see if it works out. The bronze color has an orange undertone which I happen to like because I am pretty light. Orange undertones make me look more natural for the most part. Some other bronzers make me look muddy if it's too deep or leaning too much toward a brown undertone. For reference, I have cool undertones in my skin so that could be why too.

4. Dog Harness
I can't say this is really exiting (unless you are a proud new owner of your baby puppy!) but Stella needed another one badly. She chewed hers up and now the buckle will come off when she pulls hard enough on her old one. We were at the park and she was barking and pulling away to go see some other doggie's, and she got off of her leash because her old harness was busted. I was afraid she was gunna run over and either bark/bite/be mean/jump and play. You never know with her! She's wound up! When she got to the other doggie's, she stopped dead in her tracks, not barking or anything. She just wanted to sniff & sniff them! Good dog! She usually loves other doggies & kitties! It's people she is weary of! Smart puppy! LOL

I am positive I will mention these things even more in depth (besides the dog harness!) after I have used them to give you a proper review! I heart Wal-Mart.

Have you bought anything good from Wal-Mart or Hand Candy Lately?

Thank you for reading!

xoxo
Erica

July Birchbox in Review Form + My First Video!!!!!

Hello! I cannot tell you how exited I am about my first video! I had so much fun with it! I have been blogging her for a year and a half and I thought this would be the next natural step.

Thank you to Kari who has already stopped and said hello over in video world! I was more exited about posting it on blogger then I was on youtube! lol! I think that's because you all have always been so awesome to me and your support means more than anything! Youtube can get kinda hairy at times it seems like. People are bitches.

Now, I need your help.

First let me know if you liked it! I know I am going to have to fix that lighting issue! But some of this to me is hilarious. Oh God! Just like a got better with blogging, I will get better with videos too! LOL!

Secondly, if anyone that knows anything about video's and video editing, tell me about it! I have Windows Movie Maker and I cannot edit my video there without it a) cutting out the last part of the video & b) compromising the quality. If you know any blogs about it too, leave them down below too.

Thirdly, I want to know what you usually like seeing in video form and what you would rather see in a blog post.

Now on to the Birchbox! Basically, I try all of the products I got in my box, so that way I can give you a better opinion on them all. I already took pictures of everything so I am going to include those in here too. Plus the shots I have of my trying to show you the stuff suck because I don't have a viewfinder so here they are! If you wanna know what I thought of everything, you will have to watch the video!

Honest opinion's that are constructive would be awesome from you guys! And also if you have any tips on editing or Windows Movie Maker, that would be just as awesome too! Can't wait to hear everyone's opinion!

 if you wanna subscribe to my youtube channel, I am MeetMissJackson or Erica Jackson so check me out!
I made a whole other account just to have to name MeetMissJackson but I guess I am still Erica Jackson! Dammit!

till next time
xoxo
Erica