Erin Must Have...

                                                                Erin is on the left.

Hai guyz

Erin here, but most of you probably know me as "the cousin." I'm 21, fresh out of college, and currently looking for work (please God someone give me a job anyone please). Most days I can be found watching Food Network alone in my basement. I enjoy long walks on Union Turnpike and bubble tea dates with Miss Kristine Bean. Kris has taught me everything I know about makeup/skincare/not looking like a gremlin…

                                             Me in the morning...

                                         Me after hair and makeup…AMAZING RIGHT?!1

SoOoOo it's fitting that I'm about to share my top 5 favorites on her very own beauty blergh. Leggo:

1.) Clinique 3-Step Skincare System ($41.50)

I have problematic skin. If my skin were a person, it would be Lindsay Lohan-- HEAR ME OUT-- it's like I've given it every opportunity to be all it can be, put countless amounts of time and money into taking care of it, and it'll still just randomly break out or run someone over with its car every now and then (er-- I think I'm mixing metaphors. Jokez.) Anywhosals, this stuff is the only over-the-counter product to consistently keep my skin under control. Bonus points cuz there are a variety of face washes, toners, and moisturizers to choose from within the system- each one targets a different skin type.

2.) Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque (~$4.50)

I love this stuff…no, don't love-- luuuuuuurve. It's a creamy green face mask that's great for oily, acne-prone skin. It smells minty and leaves a slight tingly feeling on your skin-- kinda like the way your mouth feels right after you brush your teeth, y'know? Ahh it's lovely. Also, it is super cheap and can be found at most drug stores. SHWING.

3.) Clean Shower Fresh Perfume ($38.00)

Kristine has been telling me for a few years that this perfume reminds her of me, sooo I finally picked a bottle up recently and I'm OBSESSED. It's hard to describe the scent without just repeating the name because that's basically what it is- just fresh and clean and soapy and delicious. I like to carry it around in my purse and use it when I've been running around for a few hours and am feeling kinda meh-- it's like an instant pick-me-up.

4.) Covergirl LashBlast Fusion (~$9.00)

This is kind of a boring pick, but I want to include it anyways because it's one of my holy grail products. I'm pretty picky when it comes to mascara, but this is the best one I've found. It gives you length and volume without clumping or flaking off midday. If you're fair like me i would suggest trying the black brown shade for a more natural look.

5.) Nars Orgasm Blush ($28.00)

Ok so everyone's heard about this stuff, right? It's amazing-- a peachy-pink blush with some gold shimmer. It's a little on the pricey side (okaaaay a lot) for a blush, but believe me it is soo worth it-- especially for pale peeps, as the color looks natural on even the lightest skin tones and is also very buildable.

Kristine Must Have...

I will be doing a series of people's five favorite products. Mine first!

1. The Body Shop
Vitamin C Microdermabrasion Scrub
$20.00
This is a really hard core exfoliator. If you have dry skin it keeps it smooth. It is also doing a great job of fading my acne scars.

2. Lush
Cosmetic Warrior Mask
$7.00
This is great for break out prone skin. Use it whenever you feel a spot coming on or during times you're due for break outs (when you're stressed or about to get your period). It has  greatly reduced my hormonal break outs.

3. Skin79
 Hot Pink Super Plus BB Cream
$28.00 for 40g
This stuff is great if you hate/don't need foundation. It's tinted moisturizer/primer/oil control/anti wrinkle all in one product. It's supposed to match your skintone, and it actually works for my super pale skin. It literally looks like you're wearing nothing on your face. You do have to order it online, but it's worth it.

4. Tarte
LipSurgence Natural Lip Tint
$24.00
I have this in "moody". I wear this every day unless I am going somewhere fancy. This is one of the few colors that looks good on me when I'm not wearing other make up (aside from the aforementioned BB Cream, which I don't really count). This product is like a hybrid of a lipbalm and a lip stain which means it gives good color but doesn't dry out your lips. It doesn't stay on as well as a regular lipstain and is a bit more sheer, but it leaves behind a bit more color than a lipbalm.

5. Kiehl's
Facial Fuel Eye De-Puffer
$20.00
If you had no sleep and can barely open your eyes, the cooling sensation of this product fixes that. It's also really great if you've been crying a lot the night before (not that that happens to me often). I keep this in my bag at all times. I even got my boyfriend, who is not a product guy into this.

                                         This manly man endorses the Eye De-Puffer.

Lush is full of shiny, happy people.

 I love this place. It has a really nice atmosphere and everyone who works there has a vested interest in your skin, hair, and general well being. Or at least they are very convincing liars, which is totally good enough in my opinion.
 The other day I was having a really bad skin day (and also life day)  and while none of my friends or family could make me feel better, the good people of Lush managed to do it. With samples! So many samples. Seriously they will give you anything you want in the store, and a decent amount of it at that. If they don't feel you've asked for enough samples they're all "are you sure that's it? have you heard about our hair care?" The answer is no, you have not, and you would like to try all of it. Then they tell you you're not breaking out that badly (which is probably a lie) and that you look like Zooey Deschanel. Well at least that's what they did for me.
 The upside is they really seem to care about you and want to make you pretty in a healthy. natural way. The downside is they really seem to care about you and want to make you pretty in a healthy, natural way. So when you tell them you've already done a course of Accutane and might very well do a second they make you feel really guilty. They make you feel the way your parents make you feel when they say they're "not mad, just disappointed" They ask you loaded questions like "is it worth putting poison in your body to look good?!" and then you just stand there and look uncomfortable because the answer is yes.
 But go there anyway, it's worth the twinge of guilt because... samples.

Here are some of the things I love at Lush:

Cosmetic Warrior Face Mask- This antiseptic mask is great to use for hormonal breakouts. Your face just feels so clean after you use it and it won't dry you out at all.

Grease Lightning-Really great spot treatment. If you skin likes tea tree oil like mine does, this will work for you.

Curly Wurly Shampoo-If you have curly hair and would rather not look like you stuck your finger in a light socket when it rains, try this.

Ocean Salt-This hardcore  exfoliant will remove 3 layers of your skin. If you're into that sort of thing.

Recommendation : Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair

Hello! Welcome to my blog :)  I got this idea because I'm constantly recommending products to my friends. I may be driving them a little nuts at first, but they always end up thanking me and becoming equally obsessed with whatever I was evangelizing.
 The first thing I want to recommend to you guys is Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair. I just got a new tube of this after being without it for a month and I cannot tell you how much better my hair is looking! I'm not going to lie, I'm not kind to my hair. If my hair was a small, defenseless animal instead of hair PETA would have had me drawn and quartered by now. I've been known to bleach it three times and then dye it three times...in one day. This stuff actually keeps it feeling like hair. I have to warn you though, this is one of those products that subscribes to that terrible marketing strategy of "let's make you look a million times better WHILE you are using this product and then as soon as you stop you will look so bad in comparison that you will feel awful about yourself until you buy it again." If you stop using it for a couple of days your hair will go back to looking (and feeling) the way it did before the Daily Hair Repair came into your life. And that was BAD. Even if you didn't think it was bad before, you know now that that was a lie.
 The minute you use this product, your hair will feel different. It's really amazing. Aveda products in general have this wonderful habit of actually doing what they say they do. If you are willing to be a slave to them for the rest of your life. Which I happily am. A full size tube of this baby will set you back $24.00. It's worth it. I'm pretty broke and I will happily skip a meal or two for this product. It's that good.

To find out for yourself:
http://www.aveda.com/product/5232/16901/Collections/Damage-RemedyTM/Damage-RemedyTM-Daily-Hair-Repair/index.tmpl