Erica's October Favorites

Sigma small tapered blending brush E45: Out of the 4 brushes I bought last month, this one is my favorite and the most unique brush I have thus far. I love that it is tapered because it fits perfectly into my crease. You can place the color where you want it precisely, because of the finer tip. You can also blend it out because it is tapered. Press a little harder and more bristles will hit your eyelid, making this brush an easy blender as well, making it a 2 in 1. I dont use this strictly for blending, I would rather use my Sigma blending brush. If you so wanna apply precisely and then blend it a bit, this is your brush! Review will be coming for this brush! Too much to say in a favorite's post!

 Here it is in comparision to Elf's Duo Fiber brush

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips "For Blue Eyes"- Even though I do not have blue eyes, and i would have preferred the "for brown eyes" one because I love purples, this palette works for me.  Just because it says "for {your non-eye color here} eyes" dosen't mean you can't wear it! Im on to your marketing ploy, Physician's Formula! I know you guys know that, so I dont even hafta explain! I only wish there were a couple of matte shadows in there, but I have a few matte shadows, so im good to go. The palette is still awesome, even w/out the matte colors. I swear every time I use the silver one, it looks like a did the foiling technique..I didnt even have to try that hard! With a primer, they do not crease and I can make it thru an 8 hour shift with shadow mostly in tact by the end of it (as long as my eyes dont water!! any suggestions?) great pigment, great formula (haha), great shadows.

I love using these 4 color together: from left to right: 1) outer v. 2) crease. 3) lid & inner corner. 4) blending color for outer v

I also love using these 3 together: 1) crease 2) blending crease 3) lid, outer corner

Nyx Round Lipstick Narcissus I have raved about this here, complete with swatches and details- I am in love with the color (and scent/taste) making it my absolute favorite lipstick to date...However, because the lipstick is so soft, it rubs up against the container making it really messy and not very "on-the-go" worthy- Nyx needs to work on that! Otherwise it is the greatest lipstick there is! It makes me sad that I cant throw it in my apron and use it at work- boo!

Radiance Enhancer in Spotlight - again: Review, Swatch, & Comparisons here 
In a nut shell, I like to use this as a highlighter on my face. I love that it is subtle enough to be a highlight (once buffed in) but also very pigmented. The end result leaves a perfect shine to highlight. I also do use powder's to highlight but since I have been experimenting with cream ones I have noticed such a difference. The powder gives off a different sort of highlight- something much less subtle-and not quite as reflective-  than cream.  I apply this with the brush on the end of it, and then buff in with my fingers.

Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in Blushed/Bronzed by ELF- A light hand is required, as this packs pigment. I like to dip my angled contour brush (from Sigma- they are clearly my favorite!) in to each side twice, tap off the excess twice (it's my ritual, and it works lol) and then go in above where I should contour and below where I should apply blush. I love using it that way- it's shines a whole new light on contouring for me! I have fairer skin- I think this is a good color, and even people who are a couple tones lighter and also darker than me can pull this off. Review along with swatches, comparisons, & the like coming soon on this baby! only $3! Love using this with the highlighter I just talked about!

there's my fav's for October (my b-day month!) dont forget about my give-away people! I think I am going to extend it into December so you still have plenty of time!

Jewelry Haul

hey B-bloggers! If you entered in my Giveaway then you will know about a place called Glitter. I love their cheap little jewelry - I usually get rings and key chains and when I went shopping for you guys, I picked up some other stuff for Christmas as well! I just wanted to show it off, hope you enjoy

I think im going to keep to Owl tho. I gave my bff Alex my other pink/silver owl I bought so I think it's justifiable! It was for the give-away but it broke, so I didnt wanna give you some banged up freakin ring, haha

the polish im wearing is Blue It by Sally Hansen which I will be posting a NOTDay or week soon with that color and another for the "accent" finger!

and yes, I plugged my give-away 2x in this short post and I think it's safe to say I am becoming shameless about it! If you haven't checked it out you should! All you have to do to enter is follow & comment! Easy enough for some free elf & bath & body works stuff!

that's about it! short one! As always, Thanx for reading guys!

xoxo, Erica J (:

Bath & Body Works Haul!!!

I LOVE B&BW and it seems like everyone else does around this time of year too. Here's my haul:

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Candle - I got the medium size for $5! It is usually $10 but since they are getting the new Christmas candles in, most fall candles were 50% off! I have actually burned this last night and I am burning this tonight, and even though I do wait until all of the top layer of wax is burned until I blow it out- with this one, it wasn't possible! It really bummed me out - I hate when I can't get the full use out of my candle. 

*** Extra Review **** So, today I bought a candle warmer/burner just for this one (cinnamon sugar donut) and I noticed that with a burner, the candle releases the scent 10x harder then it would just burning the wick- notes I would have never caught before w/out the burner, I smell really well. Def. a great investment for me, and I highly recommend! They have them for $5 at K-Mart. 

With the candle burner, Cinnamon Sugar Donut smells just like the name suggest's, and it can also be mistaken for pancakes. - I am in love with both the candle and the burner! Didn't think I was into cinnamon scents until I burned this puppy.

Marshmallow Fireside Candle $10 for a medium. This unfortunately wasn't on sale. On the bright side of that, that means they will be keeping it around a little while longer! Yay! This is my absolute favorite candle!!! It is the perfect mixture of sweet marshmallow's and spicy fireside (their other candle named Fireside, that is). Like I have said before: if your not too keen on more spicier/earthy scent's, this is a perfect scent to transition to. Try. This. Out. Your not going to regret it! I wanna try this on my burner, but if I do that, wick will get buried into the wax once it dries. Then I will never be able to burn it again! Just an fyi- but then again I dont think im getting all the notes when i burn just the wick- 

4 for $20 on Wall Flowers & Scentportables

***Another quick review*** When I first went to B&BW I picked up a Scentportable. I had it in my car for 3 whole days and didn't smell a thing. I read the directions probably every time I got in my car because I was convinced I had it in wrong. When I went to take it back, the girl at B&BW told me I had it in correctly. So end result, these things suck! I dont mean to be a hater because I love Slatkin & Co. just thought I should give you a heads up to save your money!

Wallflowers- These on the other hand smell awesome. We have a 2 bedroom house and I plugged this in into the upstairs bathroom. You can smell it from downstairs by the steps. I also love the actual wall flower. It is so cute! It is a Christmas collection, but since it's just a star I can use it all year. I also like it because it is a night light...Not the best pic, but what-ev's I think you guys get the point.

The scents I got were Marshmallow Fireside (surprise, surprise)- Love the scent. Love the owl decor. Cute.

Sensual Amber- Just an amber scent- This was a really nice scent and since I couldn't find another one I wanted this as my last pick.

Aromatherapy Night Time Tea- It actually smells like tea. This one isn't overpowering like the Marshmallow Fireside and Candied Sugar Plum ones (which I actually like the overbearing scent to them!) I like this one a lot better than the lavender vanilla night time scents they have-- so much better! If your like me & love night time tea, and aren't fans of those vanilla lavender scents, I think you will love this. The B&BW website describes this scent as having "Cedarwood and Orange Essential Oils". I dunno, honestly. lol         

Candied Sugar Plum- This one seriously smells like candy. I can definitely smell the plumy note and a little bit of a berry note. I also smell an apple note too, because it is comparable to the Winter Apple one - not exact, just similar.  

3 for $5 mini's!

Winter Candy Apple - This smells like a cooler apple scent. Instead of a warm baked apple, it's more of a crisp, tart apple scent. They describe it as "spicy w/ cinnamon" on B&BW'w website, but I cant say I agree. Maybe a little time on my candle warmer and she'll be cookin with cinnamon!

This is my last resort candle, I had to choose one more, so I chose this one. For me, this candle is more chocolate than mint. I haven't burned it yet, so the mint may pop out once I burn it, keep that in mind. 

there discontinued the mini candles! what?!!!?!?! oh hell no bitch! I guess they are some sort of fire hazard - I dont care, they are cheap and delicious! ):

 So there's my B&BW haul....which is all candles....and I have been watching candle hauls for like an hour....and a blogged about another candle here a couple days ago. I am in a candle kinda mood, I guess, lol. Welp, Im outtie. have a scent-filled day!

Just a reminder about my Giveaway! If you love ELF & Bath & Body Works like me, then you going to love my giveaway! All you have to do to enter is follow and 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

Product Spotlight

on Spotlight! They are both highlighters from ELF that I ordered I couple weeks ago -

They are just awesome! I wasn't sure if I had high hopes for it, but then again it is ELF & even tho they have a lot of cheap stuff, most things are of pretty good quality. I like to use this as a highlight making a moon or "v" shape around my eye. 

Radiance Enhancer in Spotlight- $3 It has a really nice texture: really creamy rich and shimmery, & pigmented, but not so much pigment that it isnt blendable.  I would rather use a cream as a face highlight because it is a cream, and that alone will reflect light more so than a powder.

Shimmering Facial Whip in Spotlight- $1 Exact same texture as the Radiance Enhancer- rich, creamy, & pigmented. What set's this apart from the Radiance Enhancer is that it dosen't have a brush. 

Even though they both are called Spotlight, they differ in color, as you can see. I think because the Radiance Enhancer has more of a pinker tinge to it, it is more flattering on myself- because I have pink/cool undertones. However, I think that the Shimmering Facial Whip also looks really nice on me as well! I think because it dosen't have any pink or yellow undertones that it will flatter any skin tone.

on my b/f's hand's we have the Shimmering Facial Whip on the left. Radiance Enhancer on the right.

What's your Favorite Highlighter? Please tell us in the comments!

Candle of the Month

Since I am obsessed with candles like I am sure most of you are, why not dedicate a series to them!

Angel Whispers

This is a candle made by Glade so you know it is going to smell amaze-balls! Very fragrant. I hate when I buy a yummy candle, light it on fire, and there is absolutely no smell - with Glade, you never have to worry about that.

This was my very first candle when I was in high school that really got me passionate about candles. This scent is really girly. Although it is a floral scent, it isnt old school floral- it's modern floral. Think of a really nice purfume- that's what this smells like. Very soft & romantic, as the website also suggests. I think it has a clean scent too, if you ask me. 

This candle will burn up to 22 hours.I got it for around $5 if I remember right - at Dollar General.  I personally do not like the sleepy fragrances they have everywhere- the lavender vanilla one's are not my thing. I think this candle works nicely for a relaxing night! (FYI: they just got in a new candle at B&BW for their "sleep" line called white tea & something, & unlike the lavender vanilla ones, it smells amazing!)

"To truly relax and restore the body, mind and spirit, you need to release your attachments to the outside world, however compelling they may seem. It’s vitally important to make time for yourself in your own private retreat. Angel Whispers® helps create this haven." - Glade.com

What candle are you obsessing over this month? If not any candle's are hitting a chord with you, what about fragrance?? - Thanx for reading!


Side note: Over 100 followers?!?!?! yay!!!!  Give-Away coming soon! I need to buy some stuff first haha! I'm thinking some candles, some jewelry, a magazine, maybe some lipgloss- what do you guys think???

Free Target Beauty Bag in my Mail!

Sweet! While on the target website a couple weeks ago, this ad popped up. "Put in your address and we will send you a target beauty bag!" I totally forgot about it and it showed up the other day!

It came in this really pretty silk makeup bag which I think I will use as a change purse at work - much cuter than a crown royal bag, dont cha think? It's a little small for an actual beauty bag, so I think my use will be very useful.

In the cute silky makeup bag, the first thing I pulled out was these Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelette I got 5 in the packette and they won a "best of beauty" award from Allure so I was exited to try them out. So they take off your makeup and while doing so, are supposed to calm you down from the chamomile.

Quick Review- They smell great and yes, they are very moist and stay that way even after I opened it, but I just dont think they take off my makeup as good as my favorite makeup remover (which is Avon's lotion makeup remover- out of all of the remover's I tried, It is - hands down - the best)

Then I got 3 sample's of from 3 different companies for shampoo & conditioner:

-John Frieda Full Repair Full Body Shampoo & Conditioner- I love John you guys know, so I think this will be a good one.

-Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner- Yeah no, I have this stuff in full size- I have had it for over a year so I think that says something about it- It's my "back-up" shampoo & conditioner. So it's second best- if even best at all.

-Garnier Fructis Pure Clean (92% biodegradable) Shampoo & Conditioner- Very green of them.

L'Oreal Day Night Cream Youth Code - I am always skeptical of this kind of stuff - and even tho I love L'Oreal products, I dont think there cream's - esp. the anti-aging cream's are great.- I haven;t tried it yet tho.

Last thing is Burt's Bees Radiance Day Lotion with SPF 15. I have never really heard of anybody that uses Burt's Bees lotion's, only chap sticks so I am exited to try this too.

It also came with a coupon book with over $20 worth of savings: $ off Sonia Kashuk, Sally Hansen, Revlon, Maybelline, Aveeno, Pantene, Herbal Essence's & also coupons from the samples I got.

What do you guys think I should use my coupons on? 

Not bad for free!Have a great day!