What's Up in The Video World

Hi! I thought I would update all of you on the things I've been posting to YouTube! Enjoy the video trio of my favorite products (aka hits and misses) healthy food (Nature Box Snacks) , and a Q+A (TMI Tag)

take care

xoxo

Erica

Bright Summer Lips: NYX Butter Glosses

When spring/summer rolls around, I am ready for bright color's. The past week in Ohio has been nothing but rain and storms. Le sigh. I went into Ulta with the intention of finding something bright. NYX was having BOGO 1/2 off {as usual} and I knew I already liked their Lip Butters so I decided on these two. They were the brightest of the bunch.

Since I have already reviewed these in two other colors here, I will just give you a quick run down. These Lip Butters are great. They have a doe foot applicator + They have both pigment and gloss. It truly feels like a buttery consistency. It isn't sticky in the slightest. They are comfortable to wear.

Cherry Cheese Cake

This one was the brightest orange of the bunch. I always like orange lipstick for the summer. I wondered why they chose "Cherry" as a part of the name- it is a bit misleading. I think of a cherry as red, don't you? I have decided if it isn't a red orange then it is a yellow orange. To me, this is a true orange. It reminded me a lot of Revlon's Siren {matte} and swatching them next to each other, I noticed it was a dupe as far as the color goes. If your looking for the perfect orange lip, they make an excellent pair.

Peaches and Cream

Another weird name. I had to look for the peachy tone in there and I suppose this would lean slightly coral but to me this is just a perfect bubblegum pink. I have talked about the ELF Essentials Lipstick in Flirtatious plenty of times {may or may not be my all time favorite lipstick} and after swatching them side by side, I realized they are an exact dupe as far as color goes. Another perfect pairing if your looking for a bright pink lip.

Here's the swatches on my wrist. Peaches and Cream is on top and Cherry Cheesecake is below that.

Swatching lipsticks/glosses never give a true color of what it would look like on the lips. These lip glosses look a little but deeper- more bold - on the lips.

I love this time of year. I am so excited for the summer- and bold bright colors!

What are your favorite Bright lip colors?

What about your Favorite NYX Butter Gloss shades?

thanx for reading!

{xx}

Erica

Budget Friendly Makeup Collection and Storage {DIY}

Any sort of collection you may have that involves a bunch of different little piece {makeup collection, craft/scrap book/etc} can be kind of hard to organize. In most cases, collections tend to grow over time and the way you store things will grow over time as well. This is how I used to store my makeup back in 2011/2012. I love those plastic drawer units. You can find those at any Target or Wal-Mart for a decent price.

Now that my collection has grown, the storage unit has also grown. I bought this Ten Piece Drawer Set at Sam's Club for a complete steal for only around $20! It was easy to put together and with a little bit of messing around with everything, everything fits perfectly.

All of the little bins inside of each drawer were either bought at Target ($1), Dollar Tree (3 for $1 and the larger ones $1), and Dollar General ($1).

Tips:

I was looking at the ten drawers in the order I do my makeup. The top drawer is face items {foundation, concealer, primer's, etc} Second drawer is blushes, + bronzers. Third and fourth drawer are eye products, going all the way down the line {with some exception. I should have made the brow products one of the tops drawers but whatever}

Start by figuring out what you have the most of/least of then designate a drawer accordingly. Then start placing your bins in each drawer and you will be surprised to learn that the bins just start fitting in each drawer almost like they were meant to be there- almost like a puzzle piece or something!

♥Adorable DIY Tablescape
♥Favorite Drugstore Matte Bronzers/Contours
♥Favorite Champagne Eyeshadows
♥Mally Beauty Brand Review

ok it's Friday night and I am so ready to to chill out and edit a video and some photos, have a marathon of The Challenge and Chardonnay and maybe order a pizza? I couldn't think of anything more fun to do. Dork. Yes. I am. 

How do you store your makeup?

Until Next Time!
Erica

Bath and Body Works Candles + A Mall Haul

It has been some time since I purchased any new B+BW candles. It is one of my favorite stores. It's kind of ridiculous how many candles I have. I personally like to save any seasonal candles I haven't used up for the next year in case I miss the 2 for $22 for any given month. I used to not care about what scent I was burning in what month but there really something about the changing of the seasons paired with seasonal candles. In the fall, I crave Cinnamon Sugared Donut and Cider Lane. In the summer, I crave summer scents. It's so weird. I don't know how I got like this....im pretty sure B+BW had something to do with it.

Aloha Waikiki
Hulas & Hibiscus

I had this Wallflower last year and even though I love the smell of hibiscus, the Wallflower was too strong- or maybe I am just sick of it! Probably. On top of the Wallflower I had, I also have the Kim K. perfume which smells a lot like this candle. I have wanted this candle since last year and when I realized this scent was part of the 2 for $22, I couldn't resist. Now, I'm deciding on returning it. I need something new. But if you need a hibiscus or plumeria fix, this is your candle. It also kind of smells like jasmine too. Although they had another candle with a dominant jasmine note and I liked it more than this. It does have a high scent throw though. I'm taking it back anyways. I'm sick of this scent! Do you ever get like that?

"an exquisite fusion of Plumeria petals, Tiare blossoms, and a hint of sugarcane that transports you to the big island Aloha paradise!"

Garden Strawberry

OMG! When I first started my blog, I did a blog post about a Strawberry candle B+BW had years ago. It smelled like straight up strawberries. Even though strawberries aren't my favorite fruit, I do love the smell. This candle is incredible. I lit it in my bedroom and I could smell it coming up the stairs (we have a second floor that consists of 1 bedroom and a sitting room. It's pretty much a glorified attic). The scent isn't obnoxious or anything like that but the scent throw is really far. I love the smell of this. It smells like sugary tart strawberries along with some mango. Mangos are my favorite fruit but I honestly wish it was just strawberry scented. Nonetheless, the candle smells so good. The scent description reads:

 "A succulent blend of juicy strawberries, fresh mango nectar & floral peach blossom."

Cinnamon Sugared Donut:

I normally do not buy candles twice. I get sick of the scent by that next season and move on. I make an exception for Cinnamon Sugared Donut. Last fall, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! When I got to the store, I found out they did away with it for Fall 2013. Naturally I moved on to other candles but I kept on thinking about this one. It is my favorite B+BW candle scent- probably ever. This is featured in the Sweet Shop line that is apparently sold exclusively in the mason jars only. Adorable, yes. But there is something about the scent throw- the mason jar just doesn't have as far of one as the 3 wick did. It smells exactly the same in the jar but when it's lit, it isn't as strong as a scent as it used to be. I liked to be smacked in the nose with fragrance when I walk in the door and this one doesn't smack me very hard. Which is unfortunate because it smells exactly like the description reads:

"Share the delight of a freshly baked vanilla cake doughnut covered in sugar crystals and crushed cinnamon"
 

Next time I go back I need to stock up on Wallflowers and some new Bath and Body Products (coconut. yum.) Anyways, that's another blog post.

At another mall trip I bought a few other things! Elephant in the room:{I shop too much. Honestly. I feel like my life revolves around hauls and shopping. It's a problem.} Anywho, I bought more stuff!!! Surprise, surprise. This video haul consists of jewelry and sunglasses, but hey! I have a wedding to go to people. That's always my spring time excuse. I could also mention that its the changing of the seasons and trends....Those 2 are good enough excuses for me! 

 

Do you have a favorite spring candle?
What is it?

Thank you for viewing!
xxx
Erica

April Ipsy Review and A Blog Make Over!!!

Hi! As you can probably tell, I re-did my blog! Yay! I haven't changed it up since early last year, which is a shame. It got to the point where I didn't even want to post anything on it- as you can probably tell again! So yeah I'm pretty excited about it. There are a few finishing touches {like centering my sidebar. I had a code for it awhile back and then one day, the code stopped working for some reason}. So what do you think?! I love it.

Ok, now for the Ipsy review. I literally love the Glam Bag. You get 5 beauty products for only $10 which is a steal. I realize my blog has been taken over by Ipsy things lately. I blog about what I love and Ipsy is just the best.

Urban Decay 
24/7 Velvet Glide On Pencil // Black Velvet

This month, the Urban Decay eye liner alone is worth more than the bag. It has been some time since I have worn black in the inner rim of my eye. I used to all the time then I got comfortable with brown eye liner up top, nude liner on the bottom, and the usual black liquid liner on the lash line. Today, I used this liner in my inner rim and on the upper lash line. I didn't want to over do it, so I used a matte light brown in the crease and a matte creamy white all over the lid (both shadows from the Stila Dancing With The Stars palette) and it looks really simple but also polished and finished. This liner is a velvet finish, which reminds me of a matte finish but once applied, I can't tell any sort of difference of the finish of this and any other black liner I have. The wear is pretty good- you have a few seconds to play with it- weather you want to smudge it or what but once it sets, it pretty much stays. I did have some product collecting underneath my bottom lash line by the middle of the day but it was nothing I couldn't wipe away. Other then that, it is nice and black and easy to use.

Cailyn
Tinted Lip Balm // Apple Pink

I have gotten a Cailyn product in my Ipsy bag before. I would have liked it if it was in a different color but they make pretty good quality stuff. The format is a pot of product, with a lid and attached to the lid is a nice lip brush. I found the lip brush is extremely nice for lining your lips with the product before hand. I ended up filling in the rest of my lips with it too but that can be a little time consuming considering the size of the brush. The product itself is more or less a lipstick in a pot. The consistency is thin and is pigmented even at that. it didn't take much to get pigment and it didn't dry out my lips either. It's neither hydrating nor drying so even though it is labeled as a lip balm, I wouldn't consider it one. I think of a balm as hydrating. The color is a peachy nude. This color would be perfect for a medium skin tone- it looks a little dark (not too dark) on me, but also like nothing I have. Side note: The name Apple Pink is so cute.

edit:
me wearing Apple Pink. It actually looks better than I thought it did.

City Color
Mousse Eyeshadow // White Gold

at first glance, I thought this was a fine micro shimmer powder. Once I touched it, I realized it was mousse. The consistency is weird! Not like other mousse's I have tried in the past- this one is wet and it has that silicone feeling to it like a primer would. Really strange! As you can see in the swatch, it is a very pretty duo chrome shimmer. I have yet to wear it and honestly, I am a little frightened to wear it. Every time I do the swatch-and-rub test I get shimmer everywhere! It doesn't dry down to anything. I think it tries to be a cream-to-powder but it fails. Maybe I am applying too much? All I know is that I need to double up on the primer and use a very thin layer when I finally use this. I will probably just pop this on the center of the lid- anywhere else may just be too messy and unforgiving. But the color is so pretty! 

St. Tropez
Gradual Tan Anti-Ageing // Multi Action Face

This is apparently gradual face tanner with anti-aging properties. I used it once and I am a little intimidated by it. I don't necessarily want my face tanner than my body. I use bronzer and that is usually enough for me. So yah know this isn't something that I would repurchase or recommend. If it was a gradual body tanner it would be a different story. 

Such a Tease

So Seductive // Lashes

I've said it before and I will say it again- I am not one for fake lashes! I wear them for events and that is about it. My cousins wedding is coming up so I am going to try them out then. Ill post a photo of my FOTD on my Instagram! {@MeetMissJackson}

here's the swatches:

Thank you for viewing!
<3
Erica

Favorite Drugstore Matte Bronzers

Most of my bronzer collection is shimmery- mostly higher end bronzer's as well. Those are great for all over the face, and they do just fine for contouring but won't look as flattering as a matte bronzer. I always heard of contouring with a normal face powder a few shades darker than your skin tone {which is a great idea} but I found a couple bronzers that are even better and depending on sales, are most likely even cheaper.

The brush that I use almost every single day for contouring is Sigma's Large Angled Contour Brush F40. I bought it a couple years ago and it is still going strong! I really like to use Real Techniques Contour Brush which is much a much smaller dome shaped brush. It get's right into the hollows of your cheeks so well but I try to reserve that brush for highlighter only for cross contamination pigmentation reasons.

NYC Color Wheel Mosaic

All Over Bronze Glow

I have heard about this bronzer over and over again and never pulled the trigger until my bff bought it. It is only a few bucks and is worth every penny. This is the only thing I own from NYC. I usually pass them up for some reason but I want to try some more of their products. If this bronzer is a testament to their other products, NYC could be one of the best brands at the drugstore. The texture of it is kind of hard to the touch {which made it hard to swatch} but it goes on so lightly and looks so subtle while still contouring because of that. There is no need to worry about being heavy handed with it.

Revlon Photo Ready

Bronzed and Chic

This bronzer feels more velvety to the touch. In comparison to NYC it is a little bit more softer, which makes it more pigmented. It is also a little deeper than NYC's bronzer- just a touch.  Either of these bronzers will work well for fair skin tones but this one will work better than NYC for a medium skin tone- the lightest color out of the four colors is deeper than the lightest color in NYC's {clearly}.  This one is also easier to use for skin tones ranging in color because it is easy to choose your color. As you can see, you have 4 choices and can dip your brush in all of the quadrants, half of them, or just one color. The quadrants are just big enough to fit any angled contour brush into. I tend to swirl each color and that is how I got the color you see in the swatch.

Something that these bronzers have in common is the pigment. These aren't like blushes I have used in the past or an eyeshadow that is so pigmented that even if you touch it, you will get one heavy swatch. The swatches you see here are heavy handed swatches. I really wanted to show you each color and how they are different. However, I don't think this is a deal breaker in the world of matte bronzers. When I use my angled contour brush with these bronzers, they apply just fine and look like a natural contour. You can see a difference on the face. If they were more pigmented, it would be harder to get a subtle difference. So when you use a face powder or an eyeshadow to contour, it doesn't look as natural in my opinion. Each of these bronzers have that same medium brown color with a slight orange background  which makes it a bit more forgiving on the face. Cooler, deeper, bronzers seem to look muddy on my skin. I have fair, cool toned skin.

I hauled Revlon's bronzed and Chic in this video along with a ton of other drugstore makeup! Check it out-

till next time,

Erica

Nature Box + Other Healthy Food

Last year around this time I lost around 15-20 lbs. I dont consider myself fat or anything but it would be nice to tone back up. Since I moved back in August, it has been hard for me to find some kind of balance. I went from living with my mom and boyfriend to living with my dad and paying all the utilities. Since then, besides my job, my life has been different. I even started doing YouTube videos over blogging. Observing all of the conscious and sub-conscience changes is weird, actually. All of that aside, I am really trying lose weight again and tone back up!

I am a sucker for monthly subscription boxes. When I found out I could the Nature Box for $10 the first month as opposed to the normal $20, I decided to give it a shot! In the video I talk about my thoughts on it and taste all of the food.

Nature Box is kind of like Birch Box or the Glam Bag except in healthy food form. The thing that separates them {besides the fact you get food} is that you can actually pick out your snacks every month. It is nice to get some healthy snacks delivered to me. The more healthy snacks, the better in my opinion. I give the jest of it in the video, but I have a link for you guys to use in case you wanna try out the Nature Box for $10 the first month too!  Remember that you can cancel after the first month, which what I think I am going to do. It isnt because the snacks weren't tasty or unhealthy or anything like that. It's just that I have been dying to try Tera's Whey Protein Powder for over a year now and it is $20. That's where my "healthy food not from the grocery store fund" is going for April.

 

.

Try out the Nature Box yourself for $10 the first month here.

Since I have had this blog for over 3 years {it sounds crazy}, I figure I could feature some of my favorite healthy blog post's here to go with the video

Breakfast Smoothies and Meal Prepping {feat the Green Banana Split Smoothie}


Love Pink Skinny Cheesecake Bites 

Skinny Fun-Fetti Cheesecake Dip


Blueberry Cheesecake Pudding Pops
 

Anti-Aging Weight Loss Beverage


I just realized that the majority of my healthy food blog post's have to do with cheesecake. I love cheesecake.

Have you guys tried the Nature Box?

Are any of you health food enthusiasts?

What is your favorite subscription box to get every month?


thanx for reading!
<3
Erica