1. NARS Blush Deep Throat: Nothing compares to NARS blushes. They are the King of blushes in my book. They aught to be when you pay $25 a pop. NARS blushes are so pigmented, and show up great on my skintone. They don't look ashy at all. This is such a pretty pinky-peach blush. It is similar to Orgasm, but I like it better. I think this one shows up better on me than Orgasm which I also own. 
2. MAC Joie-De-Vivre: This is one of the Cremeblend blushes that came out earlier this year. It is a bright coral color, and it is perfect for springtime. It looks great alone or layered. I wear this alone or with Ripe Peach Blush Ombre over it.
   
3. Coppering: Coppering is a permanent shadow in the MAC line. It is a pretty color, and I have been getting  more use out of it lately. I mainly use it with the next favorite.
   
4. Paradisco: This is a shadow in the permanent MAC line. It is a peachy color. It looks great on the lid with Coppering in the crease. This has been my everyday look for a while.
   
5. Urban Decay 24/7 liners: I pretty much use these pencils every time I do my makeup. Shown in the picture are Flash and Zero, my two favorite colors. I think I used Zero in every single FOTD post I have made on this blog. I absolutely love these pencils. They are so creamy, and once applied they do not budge. These are essential in my makeup stash, and I will be very sad if Urban Decay were to ever stop making them.

So that's it for now. I'll be back very soon!!

Later......

1.  NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Syracuse: I started looking for a new foundation this month, and the beauty message boards I read lead me to NARS Sheer glow. I also had seen some great reviews on youtube about this product as well. As a person who likes their foundation to be glowy, I was intrigued when I first heard about this product. I was also a little worried because I have a problem with breaking out from new foundations. I had previously tried Make Up For Ever HD, MAC Studio Sculpt, and Maybelline Dream Liquid and they all broke me out. I also have a problem finding the right color. So trying this out was a little nerve racking for me. I've been using it for a couple of weeks, and so far so good. I really like it.
2. MAC Jest Eyeshadow: I got this at a CCO in December. Its a really nice peachy color. I use this for mostly everyday looks, it is my go to shadow. This with soft brown in the crease is a perfect natural look.
3. MAC Gorgeous Gold: I must admit that I'm bringing my spring eyeshadows into my makeup rotation a little early this year. I'm getting to the point where I can't stand this cold weather anymore. Spring colors are just so pretty. Purples, pinks, golds, greens and blues are so pretty in the springtime. Gorgeous gold is a perfect mix of gold and green.
   
4. MAC Strobe Cream: I use strobe cream absolutely everyday. I mix this in with my foundation to get a nice glowy look. This is a product that I will keep on repurchasing after I've used up the bottle. If MAC isn't your thing, Benefit has a version of this called High Beam. I have this as well, and it is a very good product.
5. MAC Digit Eyeshadow: Digit is a go to color of mine when I wear purples for a night on the town. I use this with my Make Up For Ever #92, and BAM...smokey eyes!! Its a great lid color.
6. MAC Expensive Pink Eyeshadow: Another one of my all time favorite MAC eyeshadows. It goes with so many colors. I use it with purples, pinks, corals, and sometimes yellow. I have been wearing it a lot this month with my purchases from the Spring Color Forecast Collection. 
7. MAC Trax Eyeshadow: Trax is also a permanent MAC color. It goes great with the next color.
8. MAC Sketch Eyeshadow: Sketch is a color I think every person who likes MAC should own. Its a plummy brown color, and can go with so many types of looks. It can be paired with pink, purple, coral, or brown eyeshadow looks. It is a great crease color.
9. Lancome Artliner Noir: I purchased this last weekend at an outlet store, and I am already in love with it. It is perfect for creating a winged eye look. A cheaper alternative to this eyeliner is the Loreal Lineur Intense in Carbon Black which I also have. It is a great alternative to it. The only difference in the two is that when I use the Loreal one, the black liner gets on my lashes and the Lancome one does not.
   

I also have two honorable mentions....

There are my favorite things that I've been using this month. What are your favorite makeup products of the month? So until next time......

Love, Peace, and Happiness!!

Happy New Year Friends!!

How has your year been so far? I've been having a 2010. Today actually happens to be a year since I started this blog. It's been a great first year for me. It started off slow, but Makeup By Kera has been growing over the past couple of months. To celebrate a year of blogging, I'm gonna post the top ten things I've bought over the past year that I love. Stay tuned to the end of the post for a chance to win a MAC eyeshadow. Here comes my top ten:

1.  MAC Smooth Merge MSF:
This came out in the summer time. I forgot which exact collection it came out with. I absolutely love MSF's. This one has three separate colors that you can use individually or swirl all together to make one color. I mainly use the two colors on the sides for a highlighter. Once in a while I may use this as a blush. The gold side in particular looks great on top of the cheekbones.

2. MAC Hello Kitty Eyeshadow Quad Lucky Tom
This was a part of the MAC for Hello Kitty collection. This quad has great colors in it. The colors are Creme Royale, Paradisco, Stylin', and Lucky Tom. I use Creme Royale almost everyday. It has a big dent in it now. For days when I don't want to wear much eyeshadow, Creme Royale goes on the lid with Paradisco in the crease. A little liner and mascara and finished.

3. MAC Mineralize Shadow Young Punk
Young Punk came out with the Style Black collection later in 2009. The collection was one of my favorites of the year. All of the mineralize shadows they released in it are gorgeous. They are so dark and glittery, so it is perfect for a night out. The glitter in it is fabulous. It goes great with the next part of my top 10.

4. MAC Greasepaint Stick
The new product also released with the Style Black collection is fabulous. It is a great black base for smokey eyes. It can also be used as a liner, although I mostly use it as a base. I don't know if you've heard or not, but MAC is releasing 7 or 8 new shades of their greasepaint sticks in an upcoming collection. I'm so obsessed with this product, that I'll probably buy all the ones that look half way decent. I really love this product and use it whenever I do a smokey eye.

5. Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara
I have found the perfect mascara for me! In addition to being in awesome packaging (I Love the purple!!), it does a great job lengthening and volumizing lashes. Its the perfect drugstore mascara. As I've said before, mascara is the one product I won't spend lots of money on. Why, when it only lasts three months? Sexy Curves is a great product!!

6. Red Cherry Lashes
I absolutely love using lashes for a night out. Well, once I actually learned how to properly put them on I loved them. For months I struggled and struggled to get these puppies on. I watched countless youtube videos on applying lashes. One day after trying and trying I finally got it. Once I finally knew how to do it, I use them all the time. Mostly for nights out. Red Cherry lashes are fabulous. A close second favorite brand is Ardell.

7. MAC Shadesticks
This is my other favorite base from MAC. The one pictured is Lemon Chiffon from the Sugarsweet collection. These can be used as a creme shadow or a base. I sometimes use Lemon Chiffon or Butternutty as a shadow on days when I don't wanna put a full face on.

8. MAC Lipstick Ahoy, There!
This is my absolute favorite pink lipstick. I use it almost everyday. This is yet another limited edition product that was released in 2008, but I did buy it in 2009 at a CCO so I included it in this year's favorites. You can probably still find this at your local CCO. I know mine still has some, and I plan on buying a back up because I love it so much.

9. MAC Lustre Drops
I use this product every day with my foundation. I like my foundation to be dewy, so I make a "cocktail" of my foundation, strobe cream and lustre drops. The one pictured is Bronze Hero, and it leaves my skin with such a glow. This product was released with the Style Warriors collection. Try and find it at your local CCO as I've seen Style Warriors products popping up lately.

10. Morrocanoil Treatment
Once I bought this product a few weeks ago, I have loved it. I use it before blowdrying my hair. When finished my hair is soft and shiny. I have really noticed an improvement in my hair when using this product. I have to use it sparingly because my hair gets oily easy, but I absolutely love it. I'll be using this for the forseeable future.

Well, those are the top ten products I have purchased over the past year. I totally didn't notice when picking these that 90% of them were limited edition. I didn't mean to pick them that way, its just what I use on a day to day basis. Some of the MAC products may still be at your local MAC store. Sometimes if you have a favorite artist and they have things they haven't sent back to MAC yet, they will let you buy them. Also check the CCO because you may be able to get these products at a cheaper price. I know I've seen some MSF's and the Shadesticks at my local CCO.

Now to celebrate the 1st anniversary of my blog....

Thanks for sticking around for a whole year!! As a way of saying thanks for reading my blog, I'm gonna be giving away one MAC eyeshadow to one reader of my blog. I'm starting off with a small giveaway, but as I gain more momentum the giveaways will become more frequent and more things added. I really appreciate all of you!! Now for the rules.

1. You must be a follower of my blog. (Although why wouldn't you be..lol)
2. Leave a comment telling me what you would like to see from this blog in the upcoming year. Whether it be hauls, FOTD, Weight loss stories, anything. I really read all of these and take each one into account.
3. Entries will be accepted until 1-12-09 at 11:59 pm est
4. You get to choose one eyeshadow that will be sent to you.

Easy isn't it! I'll choose a winner by using random.org and post of the 13th of January. Again, thanks for reading and have a great 2010!!!