Absolute Favorites of 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

thanx for reading!

xoxo

Erica J

Christmas Shopping Guide: Dont Break The Bank

Hey babes! I am loving my Christmas edition on Meet Makeup, this being my favorite post so far. Like you all, I have been watching videos about the best presents and they are just mimicking each other...I wanted to share some great, fresh, cheap gift ideas that any beauty girl would be exited to get! How many times am I going to hear about the Clairsonic or the Naked palette for great presents? yahnowhatimean? To be honest, the Naked Palette (and the Clairsonic) are on my Christmas list, but I am thinking more along the lines on stuff that I am getting for others. By all means, send me that palette! But if your buying for everyone and their mothers (literally) like myself, you cannot afford a $50 present for everyone on your list, yah no? Here's some idea's that I came up with:

Box #1

for my cousin Caitlin, who is just a replica of me.
We love all the same things....I hope she's not reading....go away Caitlin!!
$16 

Elf Brow Fix - I happen to love this little thing, and she is always wanting me to do her eye brows, so I thought this was the perfect present. $3

Elf Brow Stencils- This was how I really started learning the right angle/shape of my brows. Not every stencil is going to be for you, but I think this is a perfect jumping off point. $3 = $6 total

Rio Rumberry Lotion from B&BW- $1. everybody gets one. = $7

Bath Confetti- When I stopped at Ulta, I noticed they had a section where there was a bunch of stocking stuffers- cha ching! 5 things for $10 I heard someone say "it's just junk!" ...well, its not junk to me and if someone got me all that "junk", I would be thrilled! I got myself one too actually. $2 = $9 total

Festive Emery Board- Perfect for any aspiring nail technician. Got it at Bath & Body Works for $1 = $10

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Pots & Pans- A silver color that matches the palette I got from WnW perfectly $3.50 = $13.50

Wet n Wild Trio in Spoiled Brat- I love this little trio and I know she is going to love it too $3 = $16.50

-truth is, is that I could have came up with a million things to get Cait, but I hope this will do (:

Box #2

for Erika at my work, im her Secret Santa

$8

Paris Amour: They had a sale the other day, 3 for $6 and it was a perfect chance to get some good minis! I grabbed a body spray, a lotion, and a body wash. = $6

Big Sexy Hair Hair Spray-  They were apart of the 5 for $10 at Ulta, so this was $2 = $8 total

Box #3
Punk Rocker

Kelly, my other cousin who loves cosmetics too! But shes your "anti-pink" type of girl. borderline rock star status (she's a teenager.)

$13

Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Pacific- Like I mentioned before, it was BOGO 1/2 off so they are originally $4.50 which make them around $3.50 each.


Wet 'n' Wild Blue Had Me at Hello - I think it matches Pacific perfectly, don't you? 6 pan WnW shadows are $4 = $7.50

ELF Cream Eye Liner in Teal- I have never tried ELF cream liner so I am hoping its good but I thought it made a perfect match to the blue/green theme going on in this gift box: $3 = $10.50

Bali Mango Lotion - $1 at Bath & Body Works = $11.50

Body Shimmer- Again, found this in the 5 for $10 bin at Ulta and jumped on it for $2 = $12.50

 Box #4

Bath Lover

For My Grandma, who loves her baths! 

This is the more expensive present

$26

(for the rest of the post, please excuse these awful lighted pictures- today was a drag for lighting!)

B&BW Luxury Bubble Bath in Eucalyptus & Spearmint- My Grandma loves spearmint and the women deserves a luxurious bath just as much as the next person & I know she would never buy one for herself $17

Soak Bath Salts Lavender & Chamomile- I got them at Wal Mart for $5 = $22

Bath Bombs- This is a little youthful for my grandma but they were a buck and since I am putting together my own basket, I thought these would be great as an extra filler-upper. I got them at Wal Mart for $1.= $23

Loofah- $1 at a place called Deals around here.= $24

Basket- $1 at Target - I think I out-did myself with this gift basket! = $25

I also bought the cellophane, which are called "basket bags" (2 for $1) at Deals. If you dont have a deals, I think you can get them at any party supply store. ribbon ($1), & tissue paper ($1) at Deals for $1 each = around $26
 

Box #5

Candle Enthusiast 

For Alex, my bfff. 

She really only burns just regular candles so I thought this would be a cool idea to introduce her to a new way to indulge in candles.

$10

**I took this picture before I wrapped it up, but this will actually be in the cellophane (baggie) with a bow just like the bath gift**

Tart Warmer: $5- Wal-Mart. It will match her pink leopard/black zebra room pretty nicely.

ScentSational Tart in Zen $2 - Wal-Mart Again. I bought myself a frosted cupcake tart too- it's hot pink yum! =$7

Tea Lights- I bought a big bag at Deals for $2 and emptied more than half of them into her basket = $8

Cellophane (2 for $1 at Deals), ribbon ($1 at Deals), & Gift Basket ($1 at Target)= $10

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, I know I had fun putting all the gifts and blog post together! Happy Holidays

xoxo

Erica

Current Obsession & a Stila Haul

Hey guys! I ordered from Stila during black friday weekend when it was %80 off and I wanted to share it with you guys.

My Current Obsession is this Stila Garden Bliss All Over Shimmer Powder and it was the pretty flowers that reeled me right in and I am so glad it did because I am seriously in love with it. It really does illuminate my face and gives me a healthy glow. I wasn't sure if it was going to match my skin, but when I got it, I realized it would be perfect for almost any skin tone, it is so versatile & i'll tell you why.

I personally really love pale pink blush and the flower in the middle lightens up the powder and makes it good for a blush. The over-all brown color of the powder makes it great to use as a bronzer for all over your face. I wouldn't say it is good as a contour powder, unless you are extremely fair. For the darker girls out there, I think it would be a great blush. I have a lighter skin tone and this powder is darker then my skin but it dosen't look horrid on my face and blends really well. It really does liven up my face and creates a gorgeous glow. I really like using this as a blush and then taking it all around my face. I also like to apply it after using a blush. My favorite face powder to amp up my look to date by far. Next pic is a swatch of the pale pink flower in the middle along with the surrounding colors, unblended.

Lesson Of The Day: Buy makeup because of the pretty packaging! haha!

Wanna see the rest of the stuff I ordered too? k!

I ordered these eye shadow pans. I have Stila's Coco shadow, a matte brown, I got from my birch box but it didn't come with a pan so I thought now was a perfect time to grab one, considering the price. I bought 2 of them because of my next purchase.

Kitten Eye Shadow: I honestly bought it because of the hype it gets and I think it does deserve it, as it is highly pigmented, soft, & easy to wear. Just like the face powder, I think a range of different skin colors can pull this one off As you can see, mine came broken! I contacted Stila and they are actually going to send me another one, thank God. Well, I dont want to sound too vein so maybe I shouldn't thank God, lol.

Lip Glaze in Mango: This was just an impulse buy. I have never tried a lip glaze so I figured now was the time. I honestly don't think its anything special- it is actually pretty sheer, which is fine- but I am not wowed by it.

 Below: Swatch of Mango Lip Glaze and Kitten Eye Shadow

So there yah have it! Overall, I am really happy about my purchase and im so glad I caught the sale w/in the last hour!

Did you guys order anything from the 80% off sale? If not, have you tried Stila? What do you love from Stila? Hate? let us know in the comments! 

As always, thanx for stopping by!

xoxo

Erica



oh yeah wanna know who won the give-away? I will give you one hint: This girl is a true southern belle! I will post the winner tomorrow, but if you think you may know who won, comment! 

Meet Makeup's First Contest!

I have been wanting to give back to you guys for some time and what other time would be a good time to do it then when I hit 100 + followers?!

Thank you guys for all of your support!! I never thought my blogging would have improved and came to what it is today (: thanx guys-I dont have alot of money but I do what I can for you guys, so I really hope you guys love your prizes!!! I know I do!

I dont think a give-away can really express my gratefulness! Blogging for me has become a passion and for all of you that take time out of your day to read what I have to say about beauty products and the like- *big hugs*! A lot of you even go a step further and comment, which makes me a really exited girl (: I read every. single. comment. I cannot thank you guys enough for all of your kind words! Your the best!

p.s. the butterfly ring in the above picture broke so I went and picked up the key chain you will see once you scroll down some more

Here's everything I will be giving away:

4 ELF Eyeshadow Duo's and an Eyeshadow Brush - This is one thing I wanted to keep, hahaha!! I Love, Love, Love ELF stuff, & these color's look so creamy and beautiful. When deciding on what to get you guys, I knew these would be a hit! I dont think there isn't one makeup lover out there that wouldn't appreciate these shadows! I took them out of the box to photograph them only! I didn't stick my little paws in there to swatch them (even tho I wanted to because they look so pretty!) I have some ELF shadows and I am very pleased with the color payoff so these are going to be great.

here they all are close up:

((I also ordered some ELF brushes and I am also pleased with their brushes. I haven't had any issues with shedding and they are all very soft. I know this brush will not be an exception))

ELF Lip Gloss's- Again, wasn't sure exactly what colors to give away, and when I seen this gift set, I realized I can see myself wearing all of them! I hope you guys will enjoy them! All of the color's are so festive for the holiday's coming up! There is a bubbly red, some pinks, and even a gold color!

Heart Key Chain- I have one myself, and I love it. There is a place in the mall near me (Southern Park Mall, actually) called Glitter where they sell accessories really cheap & I always love going in there for cute little stuff like this.

B&BW Anti-Bacterial Hand Lotion in Vanilla Bean Noel & Pink Sugarplum - I thought these were neat because they were antibacterial and also a lotion! I went to get you guys my favorite mini candles but they are dis-continued!!! can you believe it???

Rules:

-Subscribe to Meet Makeup.

-Leave your E-Mail address & Name

-Leave your Blog Address- That's for you guys! Someone on my blog may want to visit yours, so link, link, link!

-Tell me your favorite post from Meet Makeup, or what you like about Meet Makeup- or if there's something that you dont like or think I can do better on, please tell me! Constructive criticism & praise are equally important for growth and to make me a better blogger! feedback basically.--------------------------------- All of this = 1 point

Extra's  

(if you decide to do any of the following, tell me what you did and how many points it equals, it would be so helpful!)

-Tweet about my give-away! Linking your tweet to this post, of course. I will need your twitter address also. 2 points

-Put give-away (with first picture posted) in your side bar. Tell me your blog address. 2 points.

-Blog about the give-away and leave me the link as well- 3 points

.you can qualify for 8 points.

I wanted to also let you guys know that  If you do win, please blog about it and tell me your favorites!! 

Giveaway is only open to my American girl's im so sorry! Next Give-Away it will be International -I just cant afford shipping ): be sure to come back after this give-away closes because im saving up for my UK/Aussie (or any other country) beauties, k girls?

Giveaway Ends December 26 at midnight!!

Best of Luck to you all (: 

xoxo, Erica

Smashbox Try It Kit

Hey guys! I hope your having a great day - Sept. is almost over and that means November will be here soon, and that means Black Friday will be directly after that! My favorite holiday(s) are coming up Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Years! But my absolute fav is Christmas. I went to DG yesterday and there was so much X-mas stuff already! Yay! I am def. getting ahead of myself. Lets go on to my Smashbox stuff:

Smashbox Try It Kit $19

I have wanted this forever, it has been on my wishlist for some time now and I was so exited to try it out. For $19 I dont think you can get any better than this. Even tho they are all mini's, I think it is worth it.

Face Primer: This has a silky texture, just like L'Oreal's Magic Perfecting Base even tho this is a gel. however, I think this might work better to fill in pores and all that. Like I mentioned before, with the L'Oreal primer, I dont think I was using enough of it - so I am using a little more with this stuff. I only have so much of it but I def. think I can get my money's worth out of it.

Eye Primer: I have tried a few so far: Mark's, Elf's & Jesse's Girl and I must say, this is the best one. I think it can double as a second concealer for the lid because it is pretty pigmented- although if you have redness, I think a concealor on the lid before the primer would do you better. ("do you better"?- where's your mind Erica?!) The consistency of this stuff is different than anything else I have tried. It isn't oily (like mark.) or silky like Jesse's Girl. It is the exact opposite of the way the Jesse's Girl one feels. Much more dense, I guess would be a good description. I went to an 8 hr work day and my eye makeup was still there by the end of it, so the primer did it's job too- that's a plus.

Eye Liner: I am not sure if this is kohl, but it does look like one anyway. Either way, I personally have used better ones. Mark has a really good kohl liner that will last longer and is much more pigmented than this one is. I just feel like it takes so many strokes on my water line to even show. Lining my lid I didn't seem to have a problem tho. Fair warning, it does run off of where I lined & onto the side of my eye. You can never have too many back-ups tho, right? I sell Mark if you wanna check the liner out! or anything else for that matter!

Mascara: I like my mascara's to lengthen and this one creates more volume than it does lengthen. However, it is a really nice mascara because it has a thicker consistency and it hasn't ran down my face yet. It is a really good mascara, but I guess this just depends on what you look for in a mascara. If your looking for a good volumizing mascara, then you have come to the right place.

Lipgloss: Obviously sheer, but it has some sparkle to it. I think it gives a very light touch of pigment, so if you wore it by itself, it would look natural. It smells delicious, real brown sugary sweet like.

Overall: I really love the eye primer & the face primer. Eye Liner isnt the best & the mascara is a good one, but it depends on what your looking for. Lipgloss is good too. I think it was worth the $19 to try it out. I think they could have got away with just doing 4 products, so trying all 5 for under $20 is a great opportunity.

Ill give this 4 out of 5 stars and that is only because I am not highly impressed with the liner. It's not the worst, but I like my liner to stay in place and when I am applying liner into my water line, it would be nice to see it.  The liner isn't something I will re-purchase.

swatches (obviously)

My Mark Store

have a great day!!!!

Fall Trend Report: Collections & Colors Part 1

Hey guys! First of all I wanna just say thank you to everyone that is joining me for this series! I have gained so many followers and im so grateful for you guys! Blogging for me has become so much fun and your comments mean so much to me! You guys are awesome!

Im back again with a season trends series with (obviously) fall trends! I had so much fun doing the research for my spring trends that I really wanted to do another! So to kick off my "Fall Trends & Collections" I wanted to share the colors of the season, declared by Pantone. As I was doing research, I started noticing that almost every makeup brand was doing their own spin with all of this season's hottest colors:

1. Mac Immortal Gold Nail Lacquer Posh Paradise Collection Available Sept 15
2. Nars Balthazar Shadow Duo Available Now
3. Mac Whoops! Lipglass Styledriven Collection Available Sept 22
4. Mark. Truffle new I-Mark Metallics Eyeshadow available now
5. Mark. Goldi-Luxe new I-Mark Metallics Eyeshadow available now  
6. Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Palette(pefect fall palette!! UD hit it on the nose!)in stores now
7. Chanel (l-r)Blue Rebel, Coco Blue, Blue Boy Nail Polish Les Jeans de Chanel line Available Sept
8. Nars Delphes Shadow Trio 2011 Fall Collection in stores now
9. Mac Fresh Amour Mattene Lipstick Posh Paradise Collection
10. Mac Hyperviolet Paint Pot Posh Paradise Collection
11. Mark. Jazzy new I-Mark Metallics Eyeshadow available now  


To find out more about these trendy colors, check out my source


So like I mentioned this will be a series- I dont know how many parts but I have almost all of my research done and almost all of my collages! How many parts I will be splitting them into is something I am not sure of. But here's basically I wrap up of what you can expect:

-Notable Fall Trends
-Fall Colors: How to wear them (not by my rules of course, Pantones)
-The winner of your favorite spring & summer trends - declared by you guys from the poll- I actually voted too hehe (: You guys still have a few days to vote!!!!

So I hope you guys will be enjoying the series as much as I am - Have a great day!