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

2012 Besties: My Favorite Mascara

One of those beauty products that I tend to try out throughout the year is mascara. I almost never stick to the same one. I really love to test out different one's. I usually try out maybe 5 or 6 different kinds through out the year. Of course, 2012 was no different. I tried plenty of mascara's in 2012 and the one that always stuck out to me was:

when I am looking for a mascara, I want one that's:

Going to really get in there and volumize and lengthen. Doing just one or the other isn't good enough! Of course, with the right technique's you can get any mascara to work out to some degree, but it's nice to find one that you know you don't have to work hard at to achieve a certain look.

{Physician's Formula}
 

My lashes aren't sparse. My lashes aren't thick or anything either. I would say I have pretty normal eye lashes. I find that this mascara both lengthens and volumizes my lashes and creates the illusion of them being thicker than they really are without making them look clumped together- while it is on my lashes.
 ♥
I can't really say that I saw lash growth after a couple weeks of use or anything like that but if your looking for a really great mascara that will give you all of the above for the day or night, you've found it!
 ♥
Also, if I curl my lashes before I add mascara, it will hold my curl well. This mascara doesn't weigh down my eye lashes at all.  

♥
When they mention 100% of people saw enhanced lahes instantly, it makes me go "hmmm." Of course you would see an enhancement instantly. That is why we all wear mascara, right? I think they are really trying to hammer in that idea of it actually growing your lashes over time. Im sorry but I just didn't see that.
♥

What I also really love about this mascara is the fact that it doesn't make my lashes look clumpy or spidery. If you apply several coats, it's inevitable but I never find my self needing more than 2 coats. The first coat always looks pretty. The second coat is when I start to notice those lashes I didn't even know I had being brought out and lengthened.

♥

I would call this a creamy consistency (not a wet formula).

♥

About the brush:

The brush on this is a modern plastic one. I think I can attribute the finish of my lashes to the wand as much as the formula. It really does have a way of grabbing even the shortest, thinest eye lashes and bringing them to a new height.
♥

*edit / disclaimer: I have had this mascara for months and months because I was planning on reviewing it but never got around to it. The pictures you see are from a couple days ago. The mascara looks a little dry on the wand, but it's not. This is just an old bottle

♥
Here's what it looked like on my lashes. This isn't the best picture (I took it months ago!) but you can see it really lengthens and separates my lashes. In real life, it seems like I will get even more length than that. My lashes will just touch the bottom of my brows.I wasn't even going to add this picture because it doesn't do my words any justice, in my opinion. But, a picture is worth a thousand words and I figure you may benefit more from the picture than any words I can type out.
♥

This is the only PF Mascara I have ever tried. I am wondering if the others are just as good {or better}.
 ♥
If your wanting to check this out for yourself, they sometimes have coupons stuck to the package of products. This mascara is somewhere around $10 and I paid less than $5 with a coupon and a BOGO deal.
♥

That was for sure my favorite mascara from 2012.
♥

Mally's Volumizing Mascara is giving Physician's Formula a run for it's money, honey!
 ♥

What was your favorite mascara in 2012?

Take Care,
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

November Favorites

Wet n Wild Palette - Since I have been working so much, this is such a quick way to liven up my eyes without spending a half hour in the mirror- Although the lightest color doesn't have the best pigment, it is definitely build-able to some degree. As for that medium color...it is my love! It is such a pretty taupe color and has great pigment. Most on-the-go days, I will put this in my crease and the lightest color on lid and brow bone. Voila! All done!

as you can see, they swatch well on my fingers:

but once I transfer (for lack of a better word) the swatches on to my hand, you can barely see that lightest color. But this isnt in my favorites for nothing, they are really beautiful on the lid: you just gotta work for that lightest color! as you can tell...

Revlon Lipstick in Prim Rose- It's just really pretty. I have been wearing this along with the shadow combo almost every day to work- it's easy. I do love my light/nude/pink lip colors and I this color is no exception. This is a "cult favorite" as they say and I can see why.  My latest obsession (Nyx Narcissus basically fell apart which is extremely depressing for me- other wise, I would have never tried to replace her! Prim Rose looks nothing like Narcissus btw I just think with my neutral eyes, a bold lip like that one would go awesomely)

here's a swatcharoo - isnt it gorgeous?!

EOS Lip Balm- My lips have been dry and I can stash this (along with Prim Rose) in my apron and im good to go. Lipsticks never can replace a trusty chip stick so this is a must. I know everything has been centered around work, but I have been working so much! It's nice to find some good products that are easy for this past month. People wonder what it is all the time lol

Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Oyster- This one is more of a sheer color, unlike Milk which is extremely matte (I still love, love, love milk but I have been reaching for this one more!) It is perfect underneath my Wet n Wild combo I talked about above.

here's Oyster (right) next to Prim Rose (left)- I love how reflective it is

just to show you how reflective and two toned it is I wanted to give you guys another swatch. Oyster is on the left and this swatch is with no light hitting it.

Revlon Growluscious Mascara- It took me some time to get used to the wand which is huge but I really do love this mascara. It really grabs ahold of them and expands them to make them longer while separating. It does give volume, but not to the point where there's so much product on my lashes that they look like spidey's. Yuck I hate spiders! c-r-e-e-p-y. So if you look for length in a mascara, this if for you!

so see the wand isnt too bad at all- try it! you wont regret it

The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter- I think it is safe to say that I am obsessed with lip stuff this past month. My boyfriend Phil bought this as an early Christmas present. Even tho I can't throw this in my apron (I do not wanna be sticking my fingers in my lip balm after touching someone's eaten off of plate...that's just gross) I wear this every night after I use proactiv. It has been replacing my Carmex lately so I think it is safe to say Carmex is getting a run for its money! This lip butter is much more smoother than the Carmex but I think they stand right next to each other when talking about dried lips being repaired. It also smells so amazing!  Like an almond buttercream....yeah that it- Almond butter cream it is!

Other Favorites:
My favorite guru always seems to change on Youtube but I have had the same 2 favs for a couple months now and in case you guys dont know who they are, I wanted to let you know about them:

EmilyNoel83- Her channel is Beauty Broadcast on Youtube and she is also a news anchor. I just really love her. She has great charisma and is really captivating. She's into the same beauty products I am into- She is always talking about things you would never hear of on any other guru's channel- I get alot of idea's from her so I def. recommend her channel! Another thing about her is that she comes up with video's that honestly nobody else on youtube would- she is really creative when it comes to videos and I really cannot say enough about her. So if your looking for new great products and someone else to follow, Emily's alot of fun to watch. she also has a blog which is a great one too on blogger

Amarixe- I always love the things she talks about in videos and her personality is great- If I knew this chick, we would be cool. She is, Like Emily, really easy to watch and is also really relatable. Her makeup is always so beautiful too which makes me realize I should invest in some expensive shadows. Her blog is also a great read as well

Jenna Marbles- She isnt a beauty guru in the least- she is actually a comedian on Youtube. My personal favorites are how to avoid people and disney movies. I love comedy because you can always tell who has your sense of humor through comedy (obviously) and my boyfriend Phil loves her too. I catch him watching her all the time which is hilarous to me because he dosen't even have a youtube account. Let me know in the comments if you guys like her too! I would love to know your favorites as well!

the pictures of the youtube people were (obviously) not taken by me-

Financial Favorite- My boyfriend won the lottery a couple weeks ago! isnt that awesome?!?!! He won $345 after taxes and bought me some makeup and bought himself a new guitar- So yeah, that didn't last long but it was fun spending it

those are my favorites for the month on November- what have you guys been loving? If you did your own favorites post or video please link it below in the comments- I would love to see what you guys have been loving!

By the way, my give-away is extended till December 14th so you have 14 more days to enter! only 7 comments so far guys! 

Thanx so much for reading, 

xoxo, Erica J