New Mac lipstick: Instigator

Hey everyone! With the Mac giftcard I received on Christmas, I decided to pick up a new Mac lipstick in the shade "Instigator" from the Punk Couture collection. I saw the lipstick on Temptalia and knew I wanted it right away.

It's one of Mac's "retro-matte" finishes, meaning it applies without shine or gloss. I found this to be true. Because of the finish it was a little difficult to apply, but with a good lip liner (i.e. Mac Nightmoth), it isn't too bad. The wear on it is really good - lasts multiple hours without budging. The only thing you need to make sure of is that your lips are properly hydrated, otherwise the lipstick will stick to dry patches.

The color is a very deep plum color (definitely black in certain lights). I admit it can be intimidating in the bullet, but paired with a smokey eye this lipstick is killer. Don't let it scare you! What's great about the color is that it works on all skin tones.

Overall score: A-

Fall/Winter Bold Lip Picks

Hey everyone! I felt like showing you guys a few lipsticks that I would wear in the fall/winter months, so here they are. I have one plum-purple color and two red-based ones.

Here are the swatches. I'll go through the formulations and colors individually but this gives you a really good idea in terms of color comparison. 

So the first lipstick I have is this Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in the shade Vivid Violet. This one applies incredibly smoothly and can be built up for a really dramatic look. The only thing I'm not crazy about is that this formulation seriously clings to any dry skin you have on your lips (you can see a few spots in the photos above). BUT, if you use a scrub and a balm before application, it doesn't really matter.

I feel like these photos make it look a little more fuschia but I can assure you that it is a very deep plum color (as you can see if you look at the photo in the top left corner of the bullet). Lately, I've been wearing this to school dabbed on very lightly and then smoothed out with clear lip balm. The effect is really subtle and pretty.

Okay, so, now I have the Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet and, admittedly I wasn't too crazy about this color at first. If you can recall that far back, I even included it in my "products I regret buying" post. To be honest, I really didn't expect the color to be so dark (which doesn't translate well in the photo, but if you scroll up to the swatch, you'll understand). It's an almost-brown lip color and even though it's considered a "butter" this can be seriously built up. This is also the glossiest of my three picks. I think I'd save this color for more of a night out.

Last but not least, I have the infamous Russian Red by MAC. This is one of MAC's matte finishes which makes it very unique from the other two. The reason it's so used up is because my mom and I both use it (she more than I, lol!). I have to say that it applied really nicely and I would quickly like to mention that MAC lipsticks are not overrated in the slightest. They cling to the lips like it's meant to be. I suggest using a lip liner, applying with a thin brush, or lining the edges with concealer to give it that crisp finish. Also, it's a blue-based red meaning the undertones are not orangey or brownish, so it'll make your teeth look super white :)

Here's a (low quality) photo of myself wearing Russian Red last fall with some lip gloss overtop (can't remember which one!).

What's in my bag? TAG

Hello everyone! I've decided to do the "what's in my bag?" tag, because, why not. I'm on a bit of a spending ban, so you won't be seeing any hauls in the near future, and I've gotta keep you guys entertained somehow, right? Here goes. And I tag everyone who reads this.

So as I mentioned in my "Most-Worn" summer tag post, this is the Carpisa bag I've been using most this summer. I really like it because it's incredibly practical, inexpensive, and simple enough to wear with every outfit. You can wear it on your shoulder or as a cross-body. Love it!

I tried getting a link to this but for some reason the Carpisa website doesn't work for me! It's an Italian brand so I'm not sure if they have an online store!

Anyway, let me get rid of the boring stuff first:

Bus pass, super exciting.

Some tissues. Also very exciting. No but allergy season is approaching and I must be prepared.

This has been my go-to lip balm for quite some time now. It definitely does the trick and lasts on your lips for a while. It has a refreshing menthol effect as well, which some of you may not like, but I don't know, I like it. Note that my dog got ahold of this one...

It's almost empty ahhh! I think I'm going to make an "empties" post sometime soon because I have quite a few products to feature. Stay tuned for that ;)

Guys, I'm obsessed with this stuff. It's anti-bacterial hand sanitizer (as I'm sure you can all read from the bottle). They're available for 3 for $5 at Bath & Body Works and they have so many different flavors, it's ridiculous. This is my favorite one that I've tried and it literally smells like candy on your hands. I also got the Sweet Pea one and a Honey/Lavender one. Yum.

I keep this little makeup case in my bag, but I use it mostly for miscellaneous things like tampons, Advil and my contact case. Kind of an essential.

These are the two lip colors that happened to be in my purse right now. On the left we have this really lovely hot pink Yves Rocher lipstick. This is in here because it's just the last lipstick I wore out. I love pulling this one out during the summer. On the right we have Maybelline Babylips in Pink Punch, which I'm sure you've heard tons about from the online beauty community. It's basically a very pigmented, bright pink lip balm. I received this one as a gift and to be honest, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. It's so moisturizing and the color is an added bonus :)

I find it really important to keep some pens and a pad in your purse because you never know what you might have to write down. A quick reminder, someone's phone number, even an autograph? (True story, I saw Joe Perry from Aerosmith walking down the street... I didn't ask for an autograph because I didn't have a pen and paper at the time. Lesson learned.) This pad is actually nearing full because I've had it for over three years. Sometimes I like to go through it sometime and see what I was up to way back when.

These are my keys. I have three keys on them: two for my mom's house, one for my dad's. One of the keychains I use is a gift from my mom, it's a tiny flashlight with a photo of Juliet's wall in Verona, where couples profess their love to eachother in writing. Cute stuff. I also have a Mickey Mouse one with the letter "E" on it. If you haven't gathered from the name of this blog, my name is Erica. ;)

These are the sunglasses I've currently been wearing! They're Michael Kors aviators that my mom actually received as a gift but didn't like, so she passed them on to me! I already have a pair of darker, black shade aviators so I was really excited about these because they're a lighter brown. Hold on, let me grab a picture of me wearing these...

Okay, so you can't really see them, but how cute is this picture? It's actually from last summer at the hot air balloon festival. I love it :)

This is my Blackberry Curve. I want an iPhone.

And last but not least, my wallet and some of my most-used cards. You may see a Michael Kors trend on this blog, but that's because I actually had a job at the MK warehouse in Montreal recently so of course I did some shopping. I love this wallet a lot because it has many card holders and place for bills and change as well. I plan on using this one for a while because it's really high quality leather, and also it's so cute! I love the signature MK lock.

My most-used cards are my Scene card, my Plum Rewards card, and my Starbucks card. The Scene card is a points system that allows you to accumulate points everytime you go to a Cineplex theatre. I've gotten a free movie so far! The Plum Rewards card is also a point system that works similarly, except it's used at Indigo, Chapters and Coles (aka, instead of movies, it's for books). And of course, my Starbucks card. I don't think there's any money on here actually so I'll need to replenish that soon enough. I don't really understand the benefits of this card, to be honest, but I still like having it because I go to Starbucks 4-5 times a week during the school year.

Alright, so that was my "what's in my bag?" tag! Hope you all enjoyed it and let me know in the comments if you decide to do it yourself!