But I’m sort of back to normal level of stress and busy-ness now, so I’m hoping to catch up on videos this weekend

Mistake #2 comes with the fact that I didn’t ask for people to enter their email address on my giveaway form… (really, Erica? That’s so dumbombomb…how many times have you hosted giveaways and this is such a big oversight!) so I’m just really hoping I can contact the winner through YouTube or that they will claim their prize by checking back to this blog. Still, I’ll have to choose a new winner if I don’t hear back within 72hrs!! Please email missericaonline at gmail dot com as soon as you can!!

OK so now down to the good stuff…I received over 550 entries, and the lucky winner of my Lunar New Year Giveaway prize pack is: funkynaz1

Congratulations!!!

And thank you to everyone who entered. Always more chances to win in other giveaways coming up soon

(image from Google Images)

To kick off the “New Year” (or new lunar calendar), here’s another giveaway for you Make sure you read the rules carefully to participate. Good luck!

• Prize Pack (x1)
• 1x pair of circle lenses from PinkyParadise
• 1x MAC Kissable Lipcolour lip gloss (Flaunting It)
• 1x Maybelline EyeStudio eye shadow quad (Spirited Seas)
• 1x Physicians Formula Eye Definer Felt-Tip Eye Marker (Ultra Black)
• 2x Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel CreamLiner (3 colours each)
• 1x e.l.f. studio 2 in 1 Conditioning Gloss (golden)
• 1x e.l.f. Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 (6002 Tone 2)
• 1x Victoria’s Secret Garden Silkening Body Splash (Amber Romance)
• 1x pair of false lashes

• How do I enter? NOW CLOSED
  You must be a subscriber of the miss.erica YouTube channel.
  You must also “Like” PinkyParadise on Facebook
  Fill out this ENTRY FORM for your chance to win!

• Optional Entries
  Increase your chances of winning!
• 1 extra entry – Follow @missericaonline on Twitter
• 1 extra entry – Tweet the following: “I’ve entered @missericaonline‘s Lunar New Year Giveaway for a chance to win a beauty prize pack! >> http://wp.me/p23nJc-8N″
• 1 extra entry – “Like” the miss.erica Facebook Page

• Deadline
  11:59pm PST on Saturday, February 4, 2012

• Other Rules
• Open to everyone worldwide
• Make sure you’re of age in your country to participate (otherwise get parental consent)
• Winners will be announced on this blog on Sunday, February 5, 2012 and will also be contacted via the email address provided in the entry form. If I do not receive a response within 72 hours, a new winner(s) will be selected.
• Winner will only get to choose prescription and colour of circle lenses; PinkyParadise will select the brand. Lenses will be shipped separately from the rest of the prize pack, directly from PinkyParadise (may arrive on different dates).

• Disclaimer
  Some prizes provided by Maybelline and Physician’s Formula.
  Circle lenses provided by PinkyParadise.com.

Here’s a super simple high bun that’s great for various occasions! I wear it to work, to the gym, to the supermarket (lol…), and it’s a quick and easy hairstyle that’s great for getting out the door, and for all you other low maintenance girls out there like me.

See the YouTube tutorial here or below.

Works for straight, wavy, or curly hair (hey, we don’t discriminate! ), no need for preparatory styling or any tools. Just throw it up and get goin’!

Time to complete: 3 mins

Tools used:

• Fingers / hands
• Comb / brush (optional!)
• Hair ties (at least 2)
• Bobby pins (optional)

Tips:

• Make sure your ponytail is high enough to at least peek over your head. If you can’t see your ponytail, you most likely won’t be able to see your bun.
• Style the ponytail and bun however you like it. Loose, tight, volume, messy, whatever!
• Use bobby pins and extra hair ties where necessary. They’ll help tame flyaways and loose strands.

Enjoy!

• A.M. Cleanser: Philosophy “the microdelivery micro-massage exfoliating wash”
  Super gentle, but effective, exfoliating wash. I like to use it once per day in the morning — leaves me feeling fresh for a great start to the day! Has helped improve the smoothness/softness of my facial skin as well as my skin tone overall.

• P.M. Cleanser: Philosophy “purity made simple one-step facial cleanser”
  Gentle cleanser that takes off everything…including any leftover makeup your remover might not have taken off. Gentle for the eyes too, so I am comfortable washing under my waterline with it.Love love LOVE both the Philosophy products!

• Toner: The Body Shop “Seaweed Clarifying Toner”
  Great product for combination skin. Gentle, not chemical-ly, and actually has a pretty pleasant smell. Leaves skin feeling fresh and rejuvenated.

• Moisturizer (now mostly retired from my routine): The Body Shop “Vitamin E Moisture Cream”
  I was using this moisturizer for a while, and quite enjoyed it! It was a bit more liquid-y in the container than I expected, and felt thinner than expected upon application as well, but did a decent job at moisturizing. Due to my combination skin, sometimes this moisturizer still left me with slightly dry spots (e.g. around my nose). Nevertheless, I still have gone through 2-3 containers of this already, and still occasionally use this on less dry days. Might be more appropriate for summer than winter, since it’s so dry out right now.

• Moisturizer (new every day favourite!): The Body Shop “Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream”
  Freakin LOVE this moisturizer. I never really consider myself to fall under the category of “Very Dry Skin”, but even though this moisturizer is super thick in the jar, and is pretty intense like the name says, it absorbs very quickly and isn’t sticky at all. Leaves no residue. Moisturizes my whole face perfectly — even the tricky dry spots!

• Eye cream, blemish treatment, face masks, etc.: NONE
  I like to keep things simple and low maintenance. I’ve found a routine that has proven to be very effective in improving and maintaining the health of my facial skin! It’s the same every day…and when I get blemishes (cuz you can bet your bottom I do once in a while), I just drink lots of water and hope for it to pass. Getting a pimple is perfectly natural, people!

Being smart with your dollars:

• For the Philosophy products, I first tried a value set from Sephora during their F&F sale. After being so impressed by these two in particular, I waited for a Philosophy F&F sale and ordered the bulk 32 fl. oz. sizes from their website.

• For The Body Shop products, I always try to take advantage of their “Buy 2 Get 1″ or “Buy 3 Get 2″ promotions to keep costs low. Sometimes, they’ll even have in store coupons for 20%-50% off your purchase or one item.

All photos in this post are from Philosophy or The Body Shop Canada websites.
All products in this blog post  / video were purchased with my own money

Pros:

• Adjustable heat settings (2 fan speeds, 3 heat settings, Cold Shot button)
• Tourmaline and ceramic technology for smooth, sleek hair
• Rubber pad feature for no slipping off counters
• 12′ swivel cord
• 2 year warranty
• Excellent performance on my hair (easily one of the best results I’ve EVER had with a hair dryer)

Status Quo:

• Average sized hair dryer

Cons:

• On the expensive side ($194.99)
• Button placement and design could be improved (should be on the back of the handle, or at the very least should be inset into the handle more to avoid accidental changes)
• No instruction manual?! (or was that just for my package?)

Compared to the Sedu:
+ Better performance for straight, sleek, frizz-free hair
- Larger / longer in size; not as compact as Sedu
- More expensive

Would I recommend?
This is an excellent hair dryer that produces fabulous results — it does exactly what it says! If you’re someone who dries their hair often, or likes to style with a blow dryer, this is a fantastic product and I would recommend it without any hesitation. However, due to fact that I don’t PERSONALLY blow dry my hair that often, the price is a bit too much for me to go out and buy this myself for such infrequent usage.

Disclaimer:
This item sent to me for free by Misikko.com for consideration, but the views and opinions are that of my own. I did not receive any compensation or benefit for this review. For details of my full editorial policy, please click here.

Check out the YouTube tutorial (linked or below) on how to create effortless curled hair that doesn’t clump together. Inspired by Pretty Little Liars — those girls always have such AWESOME hair!

Products used:

• Heat protectant
• Hot Tools 1 1/4″ curling iron
• Hairspray

Key Point:
Make sure all hair framing your face is curled towards the back. For the top section/layer, curl all sections towards the back. For all other sections, alternate curling towards the front, back, front back…this helps prevent the curls from “clumping” together due to all being curled the same! Gives a bit more of an effortless, natural, and not-so-perfect looking finish

Okay maybe not, I really don’t have it in me to be that mean. But at least writing it here gives me a channel to vent my frustrations! Enjoy, even if purely just for entertainment value

Dear Squatter of My Storage Locker,

You have been using my storage locker in the building without permission for an indeterminate amount of time since I’ve moved in (total 5 weeks). You took a week to respond to the caretaker regarding notices posted by management all over the building and in front of my designated locker asking you to vacate the space.

Then I gave you another full week to clear out your things after I politely declined your offer to rent the space from me.

I just checked the locker today (the week is now up)…your shit is still there and your lock is still on the locker THAT I LEGALLY OWN. The bed frame in front of the locker also has not been moved. No wait, that’s not true — in all fairness, you moved it 2 feet to the right (so that it now blocks somebody ELSE’S locker door) and removed the posted notice from it.

Kindly GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER and clear out the locker that I LEGALLY OWN (yes, I am reiterating for emphasis that this is legally MY property…”legally” meaning BY LAW…”my property” meaning BELONGS TO ME).

Or I will ask management to promptly cut that lock off and throw all your shit onto the street.

Sincerely,
Your more than reasonable, excessively patient but now totally fed up, anonymous neighbour.

Open Mic:

• What kind of difficult / inconsiderate neighbour situations have you had to deal with before?
• Curious to know…What would you do if you were in my shoes right now? LOL…

Green is my fave colour of all time. Even BETTER if it’s pukey green.

This camera is the successor of the Canon 300HS, which is the successor of my current guy (it’s RED…I like my funky-coloured cameras!).

Can’t wait to film some buzz-less videos once I get my hands on this baby. My old camera will still come with me to vacations and parties…places where I think there’s a chance I might drop/lose/forget/damage it

All photos are from the FutureShop product webpage. Please don’t sue me, FS…I’m pretty sure I have a lot less money than you do

My sister is moving to California, and as a gift, I taught her how to do her own makeup with a little travel “Starter Kit” I put together for her.

Molly (older sister by 6 years) is generally pretty low maintenance and doesn’t have much interest in doing her own makeup or hair. So this was a fun little project for us to do together so that she can hopefully do her own makeup after she moves away.

This kit is customized for her from the many times I have done her makeup and from knowing what she likes and doesn’t like. This doesn’t necessarily represent an appropriate “starter kit” for everyone!

Included products:

• Small makeup bag
• Travel kit (from Daiso / Japanese dollar store for $2) titled “Molly Can Do Makeup Kit”
• The Body Shop Eye Makeup Remover (inside travel kit)
• Lancome under eye concealer
• MAC Transparent Finishing Powder (inside travel kit)
• MAC Oil Control Lotion (inside travel kit)

• Elf Golden Bronzer (can be used as highlighter, blush, and bronzer; can be doubled as eyeshadows)
• NYX Eye Shadow Palette
• Lash Glue
• Mini Urban Decay Primer Potion
• Lancome vibrating mascara primer and mascara
• Blotting tissues
• Maybelline gel eyeliner
• False lashes (not shown in the video)

What she needs to get herself:

• Brush set (any decent quality starter one from Target or Costco will do)
• Eyelash curler
• New foundation (she wants to try a different one)

What is it?
A package containing various products (samples or deluxe samples) from popular brands. The Cache also includes one mystery full size product, as well as a 20% Off gift card for a future purchase.

Beauty Cache Q3 Edition Products
I received the Q3 Edition of the Cache (there are a different set of products for each edition), which contained the following items:

• Crabtree & Evelyn – Lavender Hand & Body Lotion (250mL / 8.5 fl oz)
• Sunforgettable – Micronized Mineral Sun Protection SPF 30 (4g / 0.14 oz)
• Kinerase – PhotoFacials Sun Damage Reversal System Step 1 Daily Exfoliating Cleanser (57g / 2 oz)
• SunMedica – Environmental Defense Sunscreen SPF 30 (28.4g / 1 oz)
• Phytomer – Ultra-Nourishing Body Cream (30mL / 1.0 fl oz)
• Peter Thomas Roth – Oil-Free Moisturizer (15g / 0.5 oz)
• June Jacobs Spa Collection – Papaya Purifying Enzyme Masque (15mL / 0.5 fl oz)
• NuCelle – Step 1 Mandelic Cleanser (5mL / 0.17 fl oz)
• Boscia – Skin Perfecting Primer (10mL / 0.3 fl oz)
• Epionce – Lytic Gel Cleanser (15mL / 0.5 fl oz)
• NuCelle – Mandelic EyeLift Cream (15mL / 0.5 oz)
• NIA24 – Physical Cleaning Scrub (10mL / 0.34 fl oz)
• Generic cosmetics case with mirror
• 15% off Avene purchase of $40 or more Coupon
• 20% off skincarerx.com / apothica.com / skinbotanica.com Coupon

My opinion on sampler kits (in general)
Before I delve into whether or not I’d recommend this Beauty Cache, I feel like I should explain that my general sentiment on these types of sampler kits is (in a nutshell): If I’m paying money for it, I’d better be getting equal or more value for my money in decently usable amounts of product. In other words, I wouldn’t pay money for a bunch of teeny sampler packets that I can get for free in department/cosmetics stores. Why should I pay money for companies to market / promote to me with samples they would happily give out for free anyway?

So you might be asking: What is considered “equal or more value”? Well, I’d expect a good number of deluxe samples (decently sized for more than just 1-3x uses per packet), or even a couple full-sized products that total in value for at least what I paid for the sampler kit. Honestly, those tiny 1-3x use sampler packets really don’t count towards “total value” at all (in my personal opinion). Unless maybe you get 100 packets of the same product

Would I recommend?
Overall, I think the Beauty Cache contains great value for your money. There is one full-sized product, and several deluxe-sized samples that could easily last a week to several months (depending on your usage).

HOWEVER, I personally am not the type of person who loves to try many different products often, or gets excited about new brands I haven’t heard of before. I tend to save my samples for travel purposes

So I would recommend this sampler kit for people who enjoy these brands already, or often enjoy trying out lots of new products without paying full price — the Beauty Cache offers great value if you’re into this. But if you’re a “tried, tested, and true” type of girl like me, then a product like this in general will probably not appeal much to you.

Disclaimer:
This item sent to me by SkinCareRx for consideration. All opinions expressed are my own. I did not receive any compensation or benefit for this review. For details of my full editorial policy, please click here.