Top 5 Summer Blushes

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

Milani

Corallina

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

Wet n Wild Color Icon

Heather Silk

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

Physician's Formula

Rose

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

ELF Studio Blush

Pink Passion

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

Tarte Amazonian Clay

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

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




Thanx for reading!
<3
Erica

Stila Dancing With the Stars Kit Review

While shopping for Christmas presents, I knew I really wanted to buy the Lorac Pro Palette. Well, Ulta was out of it and wasn't getting it back for weeks. Thinking I wasn't even going to buy anything, I stumbled upon this kit. I love kits. This kit couldn't have been more perfect for me. It was only $15! Chump change, compared to this kit.

Dancing With the Stars Eye and Cheek Palette

The big show. This little palette comes with 7 shadows {3 mattes and 4 shimmers} and one blush. The blush {Perfect 10} is a matte peachy brown blush with chunks of glitter in it. I think it makes a great all in one blush and contour powder because of that. Once applied, the glitter either isn't noticeable.

As I mentioned in the video, I have been really wanting to try some of Makeup Geek's matte eye shadows. The matte shadows in this palette look extremely similar to a few of them. The 3 mattes are Sway {a deep brown with purple/red undertones} Action {a light creamy color} and Ovation {a warm toned brown}. If Ovation had some glitter in it, it would be the exact same color as Perfect 10 {the blush}

As for the shimmery colors, there is Take a Bow which is very similar to Kitten only a few shades darker. It's a pretty champagne color. Rise and Fall is very similar to Sway. They look different in the pan but honestly there isn't much of a difference. Sway {matte} is more pigmented than Rise and Fall {shimmer} when swatched. Other than that and with the exception of a little bit of purple glitter in Rise and Fall, they look almost identical when swatched. Glam, a gorgeous antique coppery brown shimmer and is the most pigmented of the bunch. Pirouette is a pretty shimmery red brown with glitter.

here's some swatches. I contemplated re-doing these swatches because this photo doesn't do any of the shadows justice but just remember that these are swatched once over with my finger- no primer underneath. Glam is the most pigmented and the rest are pretty much tied. Action has as much pigment as the rest but looks invisible only because it is very close to the color of my skin. They don't have as much pigment when swatched as, let's say, Kitten. But when your applying them to your eye, they work out great.

 Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
Fiery
This really sealed the deal for me. When I got my Be A Bombshell Hot Damn Lip Crayon {a bright red}  in my Ipsy Bag, that was all I wore for weeks. This red is much more deep and vampy. It leans a little to the cool side. I would have never been able to tell if it didn't make my teeth look white. If a red lipstick makes your teeth appear whiter, you know there has to be a blue tone to it even if you can't really tell. A little goes a long way and I have trouble keeping it inside the lines, as you can see. If I use just a little bit right in the center, then blend it out with my fingers using no lip liner it seems to work even better. But without a lip liner, it tends to get a little blotchy. So yeah its a lose lose situation. I personally do not mind re-applying or wiping it off in the middle of the day because I really love the color. Looking at these photos, im not sure it looks as great as I thought it did, heh.

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner
 Lion Fish

For years, up until last summer all I ever wore in my water line was black eye liner. Since I went blonde, I have started going towards brown eye liners. This eye liner is a medium brown with red shimmer making it appear a brick red brown color in some lights. When you apply it, it makes no difference and just looks brown. If anything, the shimmer maybe adds some depth. I already knew I loved Stila's Smudge Stick eye liner's. I like to line the outer bottom corner with it (using a nude liner in the waterline) and using this also in the upper inner rim. It has great pigment and stays put. I don't have to worry about it running down my face. The water-proof claim is true to that extent. I have yet to jump in the pool with it so I don't know if its that water-proof.

Stay All Day 10 -in -1
HD Illuminating Beauty Balm

As for this little thing, I can't really say i've tried it. Im really not into BB creams and would prefer a matte finish as opposed to an illuminating finish. I think im going to give it to some one that would actually use it. Sorry bout that. ( :

It has been I think years since I've done a FOTD. I thought this would a perfect opportunity because I wear these things on my face daily since I bought them {with the exception of the BB cream}. So here I blended Action all over the lid up to the brow bone. Ovation in the crease. Take a Bow on my lid. Sway in the outer corner and Sway blended with Glam in the outer 3rd of the lid as well as on the outer third of the bottom lash line. I used Lion Fish {eye liner} on the outer half of the bottom lash line underneath the eyeshadow and as well as in my upper inner rim. Stila Liquid Lipstick in Fiery on the lips over top Mary Kay's Lip Liner in Raspberry.

These has been truly my favorite makeup items for the past couple of weeks. It was only $15 at Ulta for everything {that is a steal} and if they have some left, you gotta try it out! If you love neutral shadows and matte shadows, this is perfect. The liquid lipstick, eye liner, and BB cream are all extra's. The palette alone is worth the $15. The smartest $15 I have spent in months when it comes to beauty items. Make sure to check out the video because not only am I talking about this kit, I also talk about a few things I bought at the CVS beauty clearance too!

until next time,
xoxo
Erica

Pop Beauty Lip Crayons: A Love Story

 A true tale of love, lost. Then found again.

Once upon a time in July, I got an Ipsy bag. In that bag was a Pop Beauty Lip Crayon in Rose Romance.

That lip crayon made it as far as my August Favorites.

Then this girl went on this Vacation.

All of the sudden, Rose Romance was gone!

How could it be?

I lost the damn lip crayon. And that lip crayon is $10. I don't buy lipsticks for that much. Well, I take that back. I try not to. But ever since I lost Rose Romance, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

What's a girl to do? Hop on the Ulta.com of course! I realize Ulta is having a sale that is you spend $25 on Pop Beauty you get a free lip crayon in.......{drum roll please} Rose Romance!

So I ended up getting 5 full sized Lip Crayons for $25 and a back up of my beloved Rose Romance- for free!

Now that you've heard that love story, let's get on with the review.

These Lip Crayons are really nice. Even though they look like a crayon/pencil, you don't need to sharpen them. The colors of the actual tubes can be deceiving. I will get into that later. They are all creamy and mostly moisturizing. I would call them a moisturizing lipstick. They have a slight mint scent but do not taste like anything. Some look like a stain. Others look like a lip stick. And some seem to accentuate the cracks on my lips. Maybe I applied too much?

Apricot Adore:

Last week I wore this to work and it seemed to make the lines in my lips more noticeable. They actually felt a little dry after a while. It was an isolated incident and if im being fair, my lips were chapped as I had a cold. On other days I have used this, I haven't had that problem. The tube looks like a tomato red. On the lips, it's a nice peachy pink color. It has a brightening aspect to it. Looking in the mirror, it didn't look so streaky. In the photo, it's another story. So it has some flaws, apparently. This is my second favorite color, regardless.

Coral Crush:

This one has power. It is really pretty bright coral and right up my alley. This would have been awesome for this past summer. This is one of them that seems to have a staining quality. After the lip crayon wore off, the color was still there. Wait. This one might be my favorite.

Rose Romance:

You guys already know how I feel about this one. This is a nice nude color that can look like a nude pink but I call it a nude. This one is the creamiest one. It goes on the smoothest and feels the nicest, for whatever reason.

Petal Passion:

If I went into Ulta blindly, never to have experienced Rose Romance, I would have thought this was the perfect color for me. I love nude pinks. But this one guys, is the worst. Think of it as a clear lipstick. I think of this one as a clear chap stick. It's nothing special, really. Maybe it would be good for using over a more drying lip crayon {or lip products in general} but I wouldn't buy this one solo or anything. Unless any of this appeals to you, of course. I have no clue why they decided to put the word "passion" in the name. There is no passion. There is just blandness. And sorrow. And death. 

Fuchsia Flirt:

I thought this would be the brightest color in the box, but turns out it's not. This one reminds me of Apricot Adore, but this one is a little more pink- a medium pink.

Barely Bitten:

this one is a little bit of a darker nude than Rose Romance. And Rose Romance has more pink to it. If your looking for a brown nude, you have found it. I never would have bought anything in this shade for my lips but it turns out that I like it a lot on my lips.

I really would recommend this little kit to anyone that wears lipstick, really. I think we tend to stick to what we think is right for our taste and skin tone as far as makeup goes. Considering you get to try 6 different shades with this kit, you really get to see what you should be wearing as opposed to what you like. I have said time and time again Rose Romance and I have a thing. Looking at the photos, I think I look way cuter with a couple of the other colors. Rose Romance doesn't really up the ante on my face as much as, say, Coral Crush. 

I almost forgot to add these swatches! This will give you even more insight. I do like lip swatches but I also love seeing them swatched on hands/arms just to compare them side to side.

 

So yeah, the love story I guess isn't a love story ending in girl meets lip crayon (hm?). I ended up loving every crayon in the box. Well, most of the crayons.

One thing I learned with these particular lip crayons is that you should never apply too much or else you will surely accentuate the wrinkles and lines on your lips.

What are your favorite lip crayons?

 Any beauty products in general that your bizarrely in love with?

xoxo
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

Urban Decay's Roller Girl Palette

Thank you to Linh over at Blushology. She had her 100 follower give away and I actually won! I was so stoked! Her blog is really good too, guys. She currently has a couple of Nars blog post's up on her blog right now. Thank you again Linh! I won a few things: Winter Candy Apple Hand Cream {Im saving for winter} Einstein Lip Therapy Lip Balm, Some really adorable shabby chic cards {I have already sent some of those out!}, Physician's Formula Cream Liner {I love those + they made it into my March favorites} + a few samples. The big win was the Urban Decay Roller Girl Palette. It came with a gloss, eye liner, and obviously the palette. That's what I am going to talk about.

I already knew I loved Urban Decay's eyeshadows. I have the Naked palette and my mom and I use it to death. When I seen Naked 2 come out, I realized I would rather have that one. But, I would rather buy some Mac shadows and try those or anything else before I spend the money on an oh so similar Naked palette that I already felt like I had. The colors are different but whatever. That's my reasoning.  

Luckily for me, the Roller Girl Palette came with 2 colors that are in Naked 2. Suspect and Verve. It also has Dark Horse {which is in the original Naked palette}and Woodstock {a bright pink}. 

A looonnggg time ago, I did a FOTD that I wore on my birthday. I followed the Michelle Phan "Birthday Look" tutorial and that look required pink and purple.  I have yet to try Woodstock, but when I do I shall do a FOTD to show you that it is actually wearable. For now, check out my birthday look from 2011

I doubt I have to tell you how blendable and pigmented these shadows are. You probably already know how bomb Urban Decay is, right? The 2 middle colors are the cooler nude colors which I happen to really like. However, I am noticing that those 2 lightest colors are much more pigmented than the lighter 2 colors from Urban Decay's Naked palette {Virgin and Sin} I always preferred using Stila's Kitten in place of Virgin or Sin on my lid because it was so much more pigmented and easy to use. With the Roller Girl palette, I don't have to break out Kitten if I don't want to. Suspect and Verve are just as pigmented and awesome.You will see swatches at the end.

Along with the eyeshadow's, the palette also came with the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Whiskey. Whiskey is a very true brown. It is a creamy consistency and so far, I haven't had any problems with it migrating out of my waterline. I have only worn it once thru a workout and it didn't budge. After the shower and washing my face, there was a little smudging but I am surprised at how little. I will need a makeup remover for it. {I love Avon's} I am prone to eye liner's running. I have very watery eyes. Here's a color comparison. The other liner's are pretty good in the waterline too, but I think Urban Decay's Glide-On Pencil is giving these others a run for their money. I have full review's on each of them. Mally's Ever Color Waterproof Eye Liner- Mally's Favorite Things Kit. Physician's Formula's Shimmer Strips "For Blue Eyes"

Lastly, this little Urban Decay Roller Girl kit came with a Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Crush. The color couldn't have been any more perfect for me. I love bright pink lip glosses. This lip gloss cools and plumps. It has a minty taste. I wouldn't say it is the plumpiest of plumpers but it does plump. And cools. I really do like it. It has been in my bag ever since I got it.

ok now for the swatches from the actual palette and the Lip Junkie Lip Gloss. The swatches are in this order from left to right: Crush {lip gloss}, Darkhorse, Suspect, Verve, Woodstock

 

Don't forget to check out Linh's blog Blushology. I know you will love it.

till next time,

Erica

Empty Products/ A Couple Holy Grails {Skin Care Edition}

I have been collecting trash for like months. I just never got around to posting this for whatever reason. It has gotten out of hand so let me get started on this. I have makeup from all catergories, and skin care. let's just start with skin care, then cross the other bridge when we get there. shall we?

One thing you should know is that I have acne prone, combination skin. It used to be oily but I am not sure what happened. Read about that more in the Kiehl's part of this blog post.

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleanser.
 I knew this was good for acne prone, oily skin. At the time I bought it, my skin was really oily. It is amazonian clay mixed with really tiny exfoliants, which makes for a really thorough, deep clean. The very first time I used it, I remember being so impressed. My skin was the softest, cleanest it has ever been. As the months went on, my skin started to become more dry- not as oily. I am not sure if this is because of the face wash itself but all I know is that right after I would use this, my skin would be really, really dry. So dry, I felt the need {and never forgot!} to use a moisturizer. If you have oily skin, give it a shot but don't pay for it! Yep- get it for FREE! I got mine from Birchbox just racking up points months after months. Here's everything else I got for free from Birchbox.

Urban Decay All Nighter. 
Once you don't have a setting spray, you notice a difference in how long your makeup lasts. At least I did! Think of it as a hair spray for your face. There is a slight stickiness to it once it is starting to dry you can feel it if you touch your face, but it's not so sticky you can't stand it. It is weightless, as promised. I really liked this. It did the job.

Urban Decay De-Slick. 
Another setting spray. I LOVED this one. It is on my Holy Grail Page. This setting spray is for oily skin as the name would suggest. Like I mentioned my skin is more combination. What I really remember this for was keeping my makeup on for the whole day in the hot, humid summer last summer: 2012. If you live in a humid climate, I would recommend De-Slick over All Nighter. Or if you have oily skin. Or if it's hot where you live. 

Borghese Cureforte Moisture Intensifier.  
I got this in my Birchbox a while back. This is a thin serum. It is supposed to moisturize but to really get the benefits of it, you are supposed to use it before your moisturizer, along with whatever else you use. I didn't notice it giving me any moisture but I did notice it making my skin just all around better. When I read up on this product, I read that this is an activator for all of your skin care that goes on after it. So for example, if you use a moisturizer, it's going to make your moisturizer work even harder. I liked it. It was something different and fun to try.

{A rule of thumb for layering skin care goes like this: Cleanser, Toner, Thinnest Serum-Thickest Serum, Thinnest Cream-Thickest Cream. Think of it as thin to thick}

Dr. Hauschka Rejuvenating Mask. 
I got this in this kit from Birchbox.com along with the Kiehl's face wash- again, I racked up my points and bought it with those. I really wished I would have used this correctly because I would have loved it even more I am sure. Just like we have hair mask's that are like conditioners only 10x moisturizing, we have a skin mask moisturizer. Why I washed it off is beyond me because it was so comfortable to use and was seeping into my skin- in a good way. It's a green mask that is a thick lotiony consistency. When I washed it off, I noticed how soft it made my skin. This mask was like nothing I have ever used. It was my favorite mask to date. I am giving this a Holy Grail Award.

Proactiv Green Tea Moisturizer. 
I am an avid Proactiv user {have been using it on and off for years} and I always get a little trial size in every Proactiv purchase I make. It is a great basic moisturizer to use and have on hand. I have never had any problems with it. It gets it's job done. I like it better than any of the other moisturizers I receive from Proactiv. I go through these little things all the time.

Juice Beauty Oil Free Mositurizer.
If I was comparing this to the previous moisturizer I talked about, I would say this one is much thicker and better all around. It is really soothing and moisturizes better than any other one I have tried yet. I really noticed a difference in my skin when I used it. Another Birchbox sample. Another Holy Grail Award.

So as you can tell, all of this stuff was pretty good or really awesome. I like when that happens.

hey. I know im annoying but don't forget to vote in the poll in the sidebar for the give away! 

ok!
xoxo
Erica

Mally's Favorite Things Kit

If you remember my January Favorites, I had a bunch of Mally products in it. I bought the Mally's Favorite Things Kit back in December on QVC when it was on the Today Special Value {3 easy payments} of $23. This is my intro to Mally products. I always hear of the makeup and she has such cute packaging that I figured this was my chance to hop on and try some stuff out!

Everything I Got In This Kit:

3 Volumizing Mascaras

3 High Shine Liquid Lipsticks

3 Age Rebel Eyeshadows

3 Evercolor Ultimate Waterproof Eyeliners

Age Rebel Shadow Sticks: 

 These are cream shadows that do not need a primer. Once you apply them, you have 30 seconds to blend them out and they will stay put for the day. You can use them as a base to put eyeshadow on top, or you add them on top of your eye shadows, or wear them alone. I have put them to the test before: no primer, no nothing except the Age Rebel Eyeshadow alone and they stayed put and didn't crease up on me. {yay!} These are also good for wearing underneath the waterline: I like to add the lightest one on my inner half of the eye and one of the darker ones on the outer half of my eye. She mentions you can wear them as a smudgy eyeliner but I have yet to try that.

They come in these mint colored metal tubes and they have weight to them. They aren't like heavy or anything but because they aren't light as a feather it reminds me that they are higher end {is that weird?} You get a shimmery champagne color called Sugar, a deep purple called Burnished Violet, + an emerald green called Jade.

I have been loving to use a matte medium brown in the crease {Urban Decay's Buck and Naked mixed} with a light matte color on the lid {Wet n Wild's Creme Brulee} then adding Sugar to the balls of my lids and in the inner corner lately. It makes for a really pretty, soft {but not too soft!} natural look. Or sometimes I will use Burnished Violet or Jade in the crease and on the lower lash line with Sugar all over the lid for a really quick -no primer needed- look.

Evercolor Ultimate Waterproof Eyeliner:

When I first bought these, I thought they were a dupe for Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips For Blue Eyes. The one thing that sets them apart is the colors. Physician's Formula's For Blue Eyes have more of a bronzed brown and a medium blue. Mally's are waterproof and Physician's Formula's are not. I have used Mally on one eye and Physician's Formula on the other using every color and the black one's were the only one's that matched perfectly. They were both jet black. But, I noticed most days that Mally's faded away quicker! Physician's Formula's were much quicker to smudge throughout the day, however. I am getting knit picky here, but only because I feel like you should know every last detail. Even though I noticed some smudging with Mally's liners, it wasn't much at all and happened at the end of the day. I would really like to try these out in the pool!

  In this kit, I got 3 different colors of liners: Express-O-Lane {Matte Brown}, Navy {Matte}, + Shimmering Black {self explanatory}. All 3 shades are really wearable for me and I seem to gravitate towards Mally's over Physician's Formula because of that. I usually only wear black and sometimes brown but all 3 of these shades are perfect for every day or night. I have worn each of them multiple times. They are all deep, rich, saturated colors. Not to mention the cream-mint tube it comes in with the rose gold writing- She could not have picked cuter packaging!

Volumizing Mascara: 

I got 3 of these so I was really hoping I would like them! When I first open my bottle of this mascara, it was perfect. It volumized, lengthened, and didn't clump up on me and make my lashes look spidery. Now that it is getting older {2 months} I am noticing that if I want to apply more than one coat, it will clump up on my lashes. So, this mascara is best when it is new {unless you like spider lashes}. One coat is all I need, anyway. I still volumizes and lengthens with one coat. I make sure to wipe off the brush and go over them a second time to separate them and it works.

High Shine Liquid Lipstick: 

Not until I read the exact name {aka right this second} did I realize these were in fact liquid lipstick's and not lip glosses! Other liquid lipstick's I have tried are really, really sticky. These are not at all. They feel like a thin gloss on the lips but they really do deliver both color and shine. Mally says that these are your lip primer, lip color and lip gloss all in one and I would say that is a great explanation. I don't find that they accentuate my lines in my lips- in fact, they seem to make them look smoother. Punch has been my favorite and I have been loving wearing it with ELF Essentials lipstick in Flirtatious {and alone too!}. I also got a shimmery berry color called Raspberry, and an orange nude called Peach Sorbet which reminds me a lot of Revlon's Creamsicle Lip Butter.

So to sum it all up:

-Age Rebel Eyeshadow's are great worn alone, as a base, or over any eyeshadow, and what you see is what you get: they are as vibrant/shimmery at the end of the day as they were the second you put them on. These were flawless.

-Waterproof Liners are great staple colors, with deep pigments, they do not tug on the lid, very little smudging and fading although there will be some at the end cap of your day. If your looking something cheaper, Physician's Formula's Shimmer Strips are very comparable. Comparison above. Full review here.

-Volumizing Mascara is volumizing and lengthening. One coat is all you need for full, long lashes.When the bottle starts to get a little older, that's when you have to watch out for the clumping. Nothing a clean mascara wand can't fix! Run one though your lashes after you apply the mascara to separate them.

-High Shine Liquid Lipsticks are truly a primer, color, and shine. They don't accentuate my lines in my lips and they really do pack a punch of color. Just like the Age Rebel Eyeshadow, these were flawless. And not sticky.

-Everything was made with care. The packaging is so nice and you can tell everything is higher end.

-Im glad I took a chance on some Mally products for a really great price!

Have you tried any Mally stuff?
What do you think?

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