What's in My Bag? Tory Burch Robinson Mini Satchel

Hello there!

I just wanted to let you know I posted another video -- this time, it was a "tag" in the YouTube community called "What's in My Bag?"

I reviewed my bag briefly at the beginning and then went over everything in it.

It's the Tory Burch Robinson Mini Satchel that I reviewed back in June.

I still love, love, love this bag and will continue to wear it around constantly.

I will say this "What's in My Bag?" video doesn't have too much clutter or random "junk" that you may typically expect from this type of video.

But honestly, that's because I'm pretty OCD about things and organizing. So although there's a lot of stuff in my bag, it's not too crazy.

Hope you enjoy :)

October Favorites 2013

Helloooo, November!

This year is flying by. Thanksgiving, I cannot wait to meet again.

Here's a rundown of my absolute favorite products from the last month of October.

• Tigi Bed Head Masterpiece Massive Shine Hairspray (temporary Target sale for $15.59!)
• This smells amazing, makes my hair feel so soft and it does help with shine!
• Freeman Feeling Beautiful Facial Clay Mask, Mint & Lemon ($3.99)
• I love using this mask on Mask Mondays! I also use this as a spot treatment when I feel a big pimple coming. I put this on for 20 minutes on what felt like a potential pimple, and it never came to the surface. AMAZING! (Full review in a previous post.)
• Freeman Feeling Beautiful Facial Polishing Mask, Charcoal & Black Sugar ($3.99)
• My skin feels baby soft after using this. Check out my full review of this in a previous post.
• Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki Brush ($21)
• Lately, it's my go-to foundation brush. Dense and super soft! To get 10% off Sigma products until Nov. 30, 2013, use the online code "NOV2013".
• Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector ($36)
• It keeps my foundation in place all day. However, it does not make me look "poreless." I still love it, though, since it does keep my face matte longer than without it. And it doesn't break me out!!
• Wet N Wild Color Icon Bronzer, Ticket to Brazil ($3.99)
• Like I've mentioned in my last video, this stuff rockssss. There's slight shimmer in the pan, but it's not evident on my skin.
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel ($22)
• I'm one of Anastasia's newest, biggest fans. Her Brow Wiz in Caramel is a MUST for me, and now I have to follow it up with this brow gel. My brows are strange and don't stay put that well, but this brow gel has helped a TON!
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter, Sorbet ($5.84)
• It's so pretty and bright. I like blending it out with my finger to make it look more like I've been eating a popsicle. I love Lip Butters.
• L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm, Caramel Comfort ($5.99)
• A great nude lippie for fall! It has some shimmer but it's not gritty on my lips. 
• China Glaze nail lacquer, First Mate (sale right now at Sally Beauty for $5.49!)
• My favorite out of my "Fall Polish Picks" series. Check out the review in a previous blog post!

What have you been loving lately? Let me know in the comments! And please subscribe to my new YouTube channel. I'm planning to post regularly, most likely twice a week!

Thanks so much for reading/watching! xo

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo.

Halloween nails: Candy corn mani

Happy Halloween!

I picked a very simple, yet fun nail design to celebrate the day.

If you're needing a last-minute mani, decorate your nails like candy corn!

I used NYC Lexington Yellow ($1.99), Sinful Colors Big Daddy ($1.99) and China Glaze White on White ($7.50).

Just paint your whole nail yellow and then wait a few minutes to make sure it's relatively dry.

Start the orange two-thirds of the way up. Wait again.

And then finish it off with white for the last third of your nail.

I decided to go free hand instead of using tape because candy corn is never perfect.

I'm a righty, so my right hand (done by my left) does not look that great. (!!)

Oh well. It's a one-day mani for me :)

No costume this year, but I'm looking forward to a Halloween potluck at work.

Hope you have a wonderful, safe day!

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo.

Review, swatches: Maybelline Color Elixir Liquid Color Balms

Hello again!

I just picked up two of the new Maybelline Color Elixir Liquid Color Balms at CVS and had to blog about them ASAP.

Lately, I feel like there are so many new, intriguing drugstore products (especially lippies), so I've been good about buying only 2 shades at most (at least initially).

In this case, I picked up the shades Blush Essence (pink-nude) and Fuchsia Flourish.

There was a surprising 30% off each item (don't know why but can't complain!) and I had CVS Extra Bucks and a coupon... so I only paid $4 total for both of them!

At CVS, they usually retail for $8.99, which I think is too much for a drugstore lip product. But I recommend snagging one of these with a coupon if at all possible.

With that said, oh myyyy. This is one of the BEST lip products I've ever tried.

The scent is slightly sweet but not overpowering. I seriously can't put my finger on it, but it reminds me of something from my childhood. It's driving me crazy.

As for the formula -- WOW. It is not sticky at all. As soon as I put my lips together, I thought, "Yep. I love this."

It really does feel "cushiony soft" like Maybelline claims.

Blush Essence is a nice everyday shade. It's not evident on my lips at all, really. I wish it was a little more pink, but that's OK. I know this will still be a makeup bag staple.

Fuchsia Flourish is VERY pigmented and bright. It's stunning in person, but I don't see myself wearing this often. It may be a fun color to play up at night when going out with friends or a party.

Please don't mind my asymmetrical lips!

Anyway, both of these shades made my lips look really healthy and smooth, even if they've been a bit dry lately. They also felt hydrated and comfortable.

Overall, I'm floored. With a balm formula like this, I'd think deeper the shade, the better because you'll get way more color payoff. But I cannot wait to try other shades nonetheless.

Have you tried them? What do you think? Let me know!

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo.

Top drugstore makeup | 10 under $10

Hi there! Hope your week started off on a good note.

I have a different kind of post today: 10 products under $10!

I'd like to expand this series later on with other "10 Under $10" posts, so I figured this was a good place to start.

Instead of focusing specifically on lip products or blushes today, I'm covering a wide range of items that can almost complete our look. I'm just missing a foundation! Not bad, right? I'm all about finding great beauty products for a great price.

In the video, I'm wearing everything mentioned except the lip gloss.

Here's a breakdown of the products:

1. Neutrogena Shine Control Powder ($9.99)
Love this to set my foundation.

2. Wet N Wild Color Icon Bronzer in Ticket to Brazil ($3.99)
This is a great bronzer for contouring.

3. Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro ($8.99)
A beautiful rose gold that's lovely this time of year.

4. NYX HD Photogenic Concealer ($4.99)
Perfect, creamy under eye concealer!

5. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded ($5.94)
An awesome eyeshadow primer.

6. Revlon CustomEyes Shadow & Liner in Naturally Glamorous ($8.99)
Fantastic shadows in a tiny case that fits in any clutch/makeup bag.

7. Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Definer in Black ($5.99)
Creamy, pigmented and LASTS all day!

8. Maybelline Full N Soft Waterproof Mascara in Very Black ($7.49)
The only one that keeps my lashes curled all day.

9. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Primrose ($4.99)
My go-to lippie, no matter what.

10. NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige ($4.99)
I love this lip gloss on its own. It's definitely NOT beige.

------------

I use most of these products every day, so I'm definitely a huge fan of drugstore makeup.

When you find a gem that's also inexpensive, it's that much better!

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it somewhat useful. Thanks for reading/watching!

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo.

Review: Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask

Hi there! Hope you're having a relaxing weekend.

For anyone looking to have a lazy Sunday... boy, do I have a recommendation for you.

I tried out another Freeman product: Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask ($3.99). It was 2 for $7 at CVS.

WOW. WOWOWOW. When I rinsed this off with warm water, my skin felt BABY SOFT. No lie!

My face hasn't felt this nice from a beauty purchase in... forever? I don't even know.

I wanted to initially try the Michael Todd True Organics Jojoba Charcoal Scrub because of the great benefits of charcoal, but it's $18.50 and sold only online. Freeman just seemed like the better/most convenient choice; plus it has great reviews, too.

Well let me tell ya... based on my first try, this stuff is AMAZING! I seriously can't stop using ALL CAPS to describe this mask.

HOW IT WORKS

This is a very interesting product. It's a mask and scrub in one. It feels like a normal sugar scrub but it's BLACK, which makes it unlike any other I've tried. (I know it looks pretty gross in the photo.)

Freeman claims that this mask "works double time to detox skin."

I used my fingers to apply the mask all over my clean face. Heads up: Watch for some product falling off your face since it's not the easiest to apply.

I waited 5 minutes from the time I started putting on the mask. You can feel the mask warming up from the charcoal, which is supposed to absorb oil and impurities.

Then I gently (ever so gently) massaged the mask all over my face, of course avoiding my eyes and mouth. I didn't put pressure on my skin at all. I just moved the product around for 2 minutes.

The black sugar (yes, it's a thing!) helps exfoliate and didn't feel too harsh on my very sensitive skin. Plus this mask has a nice clean scent.

Then I rinsed it off with warm water, and my skin felt very hydrated and amazing! I quickly cleansed my face again with a very mild cleanser to make sure everything came off.

THE RESULTS

Applying toner and moisturizer after all of this felt like a dream!

Just like when I use the Freeman Clay Mask Mint & Lemon, my skin looked calm -- no redness. And there was a glow.

The next day, my foundation applied really well, and my skin felt/looked hydrated and fresh.

For just $4, you seriously cannot go wrong with this. This is good for ALL skin types!

So now I plan to use this scrub/mask toward the end of the week and the Mint & Lemon mask on "Mask Mondays" :) I love Freeman! Great quality and so inexpensive!

Hope you can give it a go if you haven't already. Let me know if you'd try it. Have a great day!

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo.

How To: Dry Shampoo + Review: Batiste, Oscar Blandi

Happy weekend!

Wrapping up another week, I wanted to go over something this working girl depends on: dry shampoo!

It has been not just a huge time-saver but also a way to strengthen my hair because I'm not washing it everyday anymore.

Here's a demo/review:

I used to feel like I needed to wash my hair every single day. Now I wash it every 3 or 4 days. Think about all the stress I'm NOT putting my hair through.

And it allows my hair to take in some of the natural oils and not get stripped of them each day.

THE KIND I LOVE

My favorite (and the reason I can now go days without washing my hair) is Batiste Dry Shampoo ($7.99).

It's a spray that comes in different scents and shades. So although I like the scent of the original formula, I've been using the "Hint of Color Dark & Deep Brown" version ($8.99) to prevent that gray powdery look you could get from the original.

They also carry one for "Light & Blonde" hair.

Batiste has been a big hit on YouTube, and I finally purchased it a couple months ago. I'm so happy I did!

BATISTE VS. OSCAR BLANDI

I've been using the Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo ($21) for a few years now. It's a powder, not a spray. I like this for touch-ups around the hairline, but I don't think it's great for taking you through several days without washing your hair.

I don't get that same "clean" feeling from Oscar Blandi's formula. It may be because of the powder vs. spray. This one is also a lot more expensive, so I guess it works out that I prefer Batiste!

Please check out the video if you're interested in seeing my quick demo. I know my hair doesn't look super healthy yet, but I'm hoping it gets better over time. I just recently started using the dry shampoo regularly, so this is a pretty new routine :)

Thanks for reading/watching! I'll be posting about another facial mask I love very soon.

For more beauty and lifestyle posts, please subscribe or "follow by email" on the top right hand corner of the page. I'm also on Instagram @erisaxo.