May Favorites 2013

We've reached the end of another months which means it's "Favorites" time! This month I haven't been going crazy on eye makeup - the most I've done is a neutral eye and some mascara. However, I have been focusing on face makeup, meaning concealer, blush, bronzer, highlighter, etc.

FINALLYYYY the Real Techniques brushes have made their way to Quebec! I found this set at the Walmart Superstore near my house, and I am absolutely in love. The pink one is just perfection - it can be used to apply bronzer, blush, powder highlighter, anything. The purple one is meant for eyeshadow but I've been using it to blend cream concealer. The densities of these brushes are spot-on. Well done, Sam Chapman!

My nail polish favorite this month is Essie "Fiji", which I'm sure you've heard me discuss at length. You can find a full review of this nail polish by clicking HERE, but in sum, I think it's the best summer colour. So flattering, and so pretty. Also, Seche Vite is an all-time favorite but I figured it merited an appearance in at least one monthly favorites post. It dries your nails completely in about two minutes. I'm not sure what I'd do without it!

This is the NYC bronzer in "Sunny" which, honestly, I've been neglecting it for a little while! I'm so glad I rediscovered it because I love how matte it is, making it really easy to dust lightly all over the face, giving you an instant tan!

I got this MAC mineralized skinfinish back in March but since I didn't do March or April favorites, here it is - however, I should mention that I've literally been using it every since I got it. It's the perfect highlighter - a really lovely bronzy, champagne color that looks awesome atop the cheekbones. It's subtle enough that you won't look shiny/greasy, but luminous enough that you'd notice a healthy-looking difference in your skin. It makes it look like it sucks the sunlight right to your cheekbones, which is actually really flattering.

This next product is the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner from Lush. I've been using this after every shower on my arms and legs and I've been enjoying it very much. The scent is sooo nice, and it does a good job hydrating your skin. My only problem is that it takes a little while to sink in, but when it does, your skin becomes really soft!

And last but not least, my favorite candle of the month is Espresso Bar from the Bath & Body Works Italy collection. It makes my room smell like a coffee shop! It definitely smells like espresso, but it also has very detectable vanilla-scented sweetness to it. A must-have if you're into sweet dessert scents like I am!

That concludes my monthly favorites! Let me know if you've done a monthly favorites post for May and leave a link in the comments as I would love to read it :)

(Belated) Black Friday Haul

Hey everyone! As usual, I apologize for being MIA for the past couple of days. I had another crazy school-filled week. However, I had my last class of the semester today! Three finals and then Christmas break! I can't wait to get back in to blogging :)

Anyway, I figured I might as well post my little Black Friday haul. It's not much, but I got a few cute bits and bobs that I thought I'd share.

Bath & Body Works Stuff:

BBW always has amazing sales going on, but their Black Friday was like ALL the sales in one day. Of course, they had their 2 for $20 candle sale happening, so I picked up Mahogany Teakwood and Sweet Pea. Mahogany Teakwood smells like Abercrombie cologne (so great) and Sweet Pea just smells fresh and clean with a hint of sweetness. It's nice for lighting in the bathroom or around the house.

They also had their PocketBac hand sanitizers at 5 for $5, which is really great because I planned on stocking up. I got Sparkling Champagne, Lavender, Margarita, Midnight Pomegranate and Island Nectar.

I also picked up the Cashmere Glow shower gel, because I loved this scent since they released it and decided I'd try it out in shower gel format. They were doing buy 3 get 3 free on all body items but I passed lol. This is actually a relatively modest BBW haul for me, I usually end up buying way more!

Walmart Stuff:

I picked up a few things at Walmart as well. First is this awesome little bottle cap Coke lip balm. It smells like Coke and it's actually really moisturizing! It was only $2 dollars as well. Walmart in the States is the prime location for picking up drugstore beauty items because even on Black Friday, they're always soo cheap!

I also got this Sally Hansen nail polish in Rockstar Pink, which has fuschia, red, cobalt and silver micro glitters. This is a dupe for Butter London's Lovely Jubbly and from the swatches I've seen online it's pretty much identical. This was about $3 whereas the Butter London polishes go for $14. So glad I got this! NOTD soon! :)

I also picked up this nail clipper set, which I guess is not that exciting. I've been wanted a straight edge nail cutter because I find myself prefer a square nail shape. The duo only cost $3 which is really inexpensive.

And that concludes my Black Friday haul! Hope you enjoyed it!

100 Follower GIVEAWAY [CLOSED]

WOOOHOOO! The time has finally arrived for me to reveal my 100 follower giveaway! This giveaway is just a massive thank you to everyone who enjoys reading my blog. I have so much fun posting, but it's even more gratifying to know that there are people reading.

So without further ado, here are the details!

1) Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY
2) Must be 18+ years of age or have your parent's permission to enter
3) Must fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter
4) Must be willing to provide a shipping address if won
5) The winner will announced in a separate blog post and will be emailed
6) You are only eligible to win if you have not won a previous giveaway on Abundance of Erica
7) If the winner does not respond to my email within 48 hours, another winner will be contacted
8) All prizes will be shipped in pristine condition (none have been removed from their original packaging), but I cannot be held responsible for damages that occur in transit
9) GIVEAWAY ENDS ON DECEMBER 10TH, 2012

EDIT: Entering via accounts dedicated solely to giveaways will be eliminated. Usually I don't have a problem with this, but I want to make sure the prize goes to someone that actually reads/will read my blog. Sorry.

THE PRIZES:

1) LA ROCHE-POSAY THERMAL SPRING WATER: Can be used as a toner and is great for dry skin. It hydrates really well.

2) BATISTE DRY SHAMPOO (ORIGINAL): I've been loving my Batiste lately! This one is a travel size, perfect for you to try out and see if you like it.

3) ST. IVES APRICOT SCRUB: This exfoliator has been my love this past month. It honestly works just as well as my LUSH scrub. But, I know skincare products do not work on everyone, so this is also a travel size for you to try out.

4) NYC BRONZER IN "SUNNY": So everyone and their mother has been raving about this bronzer on the YouTube. It's inexpensive, but I know it's not accessible everywhere in the world so I thought I'd throw it in.

5) MINI BATH & BODY WORKS CANDLE IN "LEAVES": Although this isn't my favorite BBW candle, I know a ton of people love it.

6) MINI BATH & BODY WORKS CANDLE IN "PUMPKIN CARAMEL LATTE": This was my absolute favorite fall candle this season. If you like sweet-tasting coffees, you'll love this!

7) MINI BATH & BODY WORKS CANDLE IN "AUTUMN DAY": This is just an all-around nice-smelling candle. I think it's more widely appreciated, whereas the other two are a little subjective.

8) ARDELL DEMI LASHES: These seem to be the most loved pair of eyelashes in the internet beauty community, so I ordered myself a pair and one for you to try out as well!

9) NYX JUMBO EYE PENCIL IN "FRENCH FRIES": I absolutely adore this eyeliner. It goes on incredibly smooth and the color is a really pretty, shimmery brown. So nice.

10) DELUXE SAMPLE OF LANCOME HYPNOSE MASCARA: I had two samples of this so I thought, why not give one away. We can both try it out together! :)

11) ESSIE NAILPOLISH IN "CHINCHILLY": So I'm kinda jealous that you guys are getting this one, but it's an incredible taupe-grey color for fall & winter. Here is a swatch from Amarixe.

12)  KIKO NAIL POLISH IN "NUDE": I decided to give away the only Kiko nail polish from my trip to Italy that I haven't tried yet. I talk about Kiko polishes in so many NOTDs, I want to give you guys the opportunity to try it out!

13) RIMMEL LONDON LIPSTICK IN "BERRY QUEEN": I swatched this one in the store and thought it was a nice shade :)

14) RIMMEL LONDON LIPSTICK IN "CORAL QUEEN": Personally, I would hesitate to buy myself a coral lipstick, however, I would not mind receiving one to try out for free (in let's say, a giveaway) ;)

15) MAC LIPSTICK IN "REBEL": Last but not least, I wanted to get something a little more luxurious for this giveaway and figured a MAC lipstick would be the best idea. This lipstick has been a universal favorite this season, and I would love to give one of you the opportunity to try it. Here is a YouTube tutorial to give you an idea of how the lipstick would look.

OH, and the winner will receive all these prizes in a cute Lancome makeup bag! And I'll probably throw in some samples because I have way too many to use myself :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone!