ericalynne924-blog

[ericalynne924-blog]

Moving.

Moving day.

After one week of really fun and exciting blog posting here, I have decided to move Lovely to bellebeautyblog.wordpress.com. Join me over at wordpress, leave a comment, etc. 

Thanks lovelies,

Erica

[ericalynne924-blog]

Ratatouille Yumminess.

I am trying my hardest to eat better. College brought on some not-so-healthy eating habits, as it does for many. I always enjoy eating fresh foods, but sometimes the convenience and delightful taste of pizza is quite tempting. 

My solution? Plan out a menu for the entire week ahead of time. It allows me to make fun and creative foods for each meal and prevents me from looking in the fridge and settling for something mediocre and not really worth it.

Image from rachaelray.com

This week I found a fantastic recipe on Rachael Ray's website. I looked at the ingredients and found it had everything I wanted and nothing I didn't for my healthy food lifestyle. Ratatouille with Poached Eggs and Garlic Croutons. Yum. 

All the ingredients are fresh and full of flavor. If you are looking for something new to try out, this is a great choice. It might take some time to prepare, especially the first time, but I promise you it's worth it. Not to mention, it's 4-5 hearty portions and makes awesome left overs for another meal. 

If you are skeptical of eggplant, or just not a big fan of the flavor, try substituting with more zucchini or a type of squash. Since this was my first time with this recipe and I'm not too confident with eggplant, I stuck with just zucchini. Still so good, and I avoided 30 minutes of draining sliced eggplant. 

Sound like a good thing to try? How would you prepare it? 

[ericalynne924-blog]

Countdown to Disney Day 1: Movie Marathon

Yep, this is how I spent my day yesterday. Watching movies and writing. 

Since my VCR keeps spazzing out, I had to stick with the Disney DVD collection. No matter, I still had plenty to choose from.

It’s a classic and one of my favorites. Perfect movie to start things off and get the Disney mood going. I had to stop myself from watching it a second time, it's just so good.

   Another one of my all-time favorites not only to watch, but also to sing and quote along with. I might not be the best person to watch this movie with; especially if you haven’t seen it in a while. 

  A recent Disney favorite of mine. I just love little Pascal. I think he adds a little extra humor and adorable-ness. Plus, the animation is fantastic; another reason to watch. 

Getting excited for the Toy Story Mania! ride at Hollywood Studios. The Toy Story trilogy is a favorite of my younger sister’s. I can't tell you how many times I've seen each film (especially the first two). Buzz Lightyear has become another member of the family.

Now I just need to fit all of these into my schedule...

What are your Disney movie marathon musts? I love watching Disney movies with my college roommates and lots of pizza.  What snacks are essential for your movie party?

[ericalynne924-blog]

Countdown to Disney

I am getting so excited about a family trip to Walt Disney World coming up in a few weeks. We are total Disney fanatics. I was raised going to the theme parks at every possible opportunity. For some, this could sound excessive and boring after a while; I humbly disagree. We get down there only once every two years or so, and each time there is something new to see.

To get myself even more pumped, I’m counting down to Disney. Each day preparing myself for the Disney immersion, and I thought I’d let you all join me.

Sound like a plan? Good.  

What are your favorite vacation destinations? Been to Walt Disney World? What is your favorite attraction?

[ericalynne924-blog]

January Nail Color Favorites

 In late December I rediscovered how freshly painted nails can complete an outfit and make you look more put together. Thanks to a nail polish Christmas gift from my cousin and my sister’s newly developed obsession with nail art, a new love was formed.

Here are the colors I have been wearing all January. Enjoy!

Already Famous is a beautiful silvery bronze shimmer polish. Sephora describes it as, "sheer pewter with medium champagne and silver glitter." It’s a neutral with sparkle, which I love. Good for every day as well as for dressing up. Two to three coats for opaque color, or one coat over a bright matte color for added sparkle. 

I love Metro Chic's neutral taupe gray color. Sephora describes it as, "opaque dark smoke with a hint of purple." It’s a great and sophisticated every day color, especially in the winter. I found that it matches most of my winter outfits this year and adds a more polished look. This is probably my favorite polish of the month.

What are your favorite nail colors this month? Did you wear brights? Super glitters? Neutrals? 

[ericalynne924-blog]

Current Top 6 Makeup Products

I thought long and hard about what to put as my first REAL post. I have so many ideas competing for that first spot. To make it easier, I decided to do keep it simple: 6 favorite makeup products. Easy. Now what to pick?  

This one is easy. I’ve tried many different kinds of foundation, but none really struck me as good enough to repurchase. I went on a limb and tried something a little more expensive that had good reviews: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation.

This is honestly the best foundation I have ever tried. It applies easy, looks natural, and doesn’t feel like you are wearing makeup at all. Perfect. A little bit is all you need.  I will definitely be repurchasing; it’s worth the price.   

I’ll admit I’m not too picky about concealers. I don’t get blemishes all that often, so if I find one that works, I just stick with it. I really like the concealer palette by Sonia Kashuk [in Hidden Agenda, 07]. I got this at Target for a few dollars and mine is very well loved. 

The palette comes with three colors: two different skin toned concealer shades and a neutralizer shade (greenish tint). The different colors give you the ability to mix and match your skin tone and use both in warmer and cooler seasons. In addition, reduce redness of blemishes with the neutralizing green tone. The final square has a translucent powder to set your concealer. Always a good idea.

  I love eye shadow. I mean, who doesn’t? It was really difficult to pick ONE eye shadow that I love above all others. So I went with a category instead: cream shadow primers. These are pretty essential in my book. Primer prevents shadows from creasing and wearing off as well as gives your shadow a nice base making your lids look brighter and more vibrant.

There are so many types to choose from, but here’s some favorites:

MAC Paint Pots (also available at MAC stores and counters)

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows (also available at Sephora and Ulta)

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eye Shadow (also available at drugstores)

If you’re looking to save some money or buy a bunch, try the Maybelline Color Tattoos. They come in a bunch of fun colors and last all day. 

I’m a big fan of liquid liner. It’s precise and doesn’t smudge.

I love the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner (felt tip). This stuff really stays all day. Before I bought it, I swatched a bit on the back of my hand and it stayed dark and vibrant. It didn’t fade even through multiple hand washes. That might sound scary to some, but don’t worry, eye makeup remover takes it right off.

Without a doubt, FAIRYDROPS Scandal Queen Mascara. This is a Japanese mascara, which is why I decided to try it. I had heard how Japanese mascaras have the best formulation and hold curl extremely well. It’s true. This keeps my lashes nicely curled and has fibers in the formula that act like eyelash extensions. The result is long, curled lashes that appear naturally perfectly curled and beautifully long. 

Revlon Lip Butters. These are extremely popular right now, and for good reason, they are excellent. You get the color of a lipstick, but the feeling of a lip balm. They are excellent for the days you just want some color, but not full on lipstick and gloss. You can also dress them up and wear gloss over top, but the lip butters have such a moisturizing buttery consistency that it’s not a requirement. One disclaimer: unlike lipstick, they only last a few hours before you need to reapply. 

[ericalynne924-blog]

Welcome, Lovelies

Hi there lovely reader,

I have thought about creating a beauty and health blog many times the past few months. All I needed was a little push and some inspiration. Cue the endless hours spent on Youtube learning from some beautiful and talented beauty gurus. End result? The inspiration I needed.

So here goes. Makeup, beauty, food, and some other miscellaneous fun updated multiple times a week. Look around, leave some comments, have a ball. 

Erica