This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me, Erika Leigh Belezarian. All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer.
I want to share relatable content and things that I love that I think you will also enjoy — because great things shouldn’t be a secret.
I regularly receive products directly from beauty brands, beauty manufacturers, public relations companies and brand marketing firms. In addition, I am regularly invited into salons, spas, dermatologist offices, makeup boutiques and other beauty destinations to meet experts, preview products and try out new services. It is also common that I am invited to view collections, new products or services at destinations such as restaurants, event spaces, showrooms, trunk shows and boutiques, and to restaurants to test new menu items or services. These products/services are graciously submitted/offered for editorial consideration on Essence of Erika. Complimentary services, gratis products, and press samples never compromise my coverage.
If I don’t like the experience, product or product result, it will not receive coverage on the pages of Essence of Erika. Essence of Erika does not guarantee positive reviews or reviews at all on gratis products/services. I am not paid to write reviews. While some content on here may be sponsored, or contain affiliate links, I will only work with brands I personally use and like.
That’s because I should be compensated by advertisers for the time and effort I put into sharing some of this information with you. I may receive free products or services to test, make commission from affiliate links, and I may additionally receive some compensation. Not receiving compensation for some of the work I, and others do, devalues the overall effort of creators. We often spend more time crafting this content than we do on projects for our full-time jobs. If you choose to purchase from an affiliate link, participate in a paid giveaway, or read a sponsored post, you will know because it will be clearly stated in the post.
But most importantly, you should know that getting paid or receiving products, services or experiences will never influence the content, topics or reviews of a product. Guest posts where the party has paid me to share content are not allowed on this site, and you will never see them here. Any guest posts you see will be written exclusively by another blogger or creator that I’ve hand-selected, because I think you, my readers, would enjoy — and I will not be paid or pay them — to post here.
Most of my work as the creator and editor of this site is in beauty, fashion, food and lifestyle, so my task is to sift through tons of new hair, makeup, skincare, fragrance and nail product submissions, as well as new collections and designers and evaluate them for coverage on the site.
For beauty products this involves the critiquing of:
- Texture, effectiveness, wearability, color payoff, scent, value, packaging, etc
In fashion critiques, the process involves:
- Fabrics, wearability, design aesthetic and consumer appeal. I take all of these factors into the utmost consideration.
Where food and restaurants are concerned, the process involves:
- The menu selection, taste, presentation, service quality, speed and ambiance.
For pre-prepared foods and meal box kits, the process includes:
- Freshness of contents, shipment speed and quality (is the box damaged, was the ice pack still cold, etc.), recipe quality, ease of creating the meal and taste.
While many of the products and services mentioned in reviews have been submitted for editorial consideration, several of them are from my personal collection and are items/services that I have purchased myself and use on a regular basis.
Because Essence of Erika is a personal blog, I prefer to write about things I love, which is why the majority of reviews are positive. The reviews and opinions stated on this blog are honest, based on my own personal knowledge and are never pre-approved by brand reps or PR agencies who offer me the opportunity to test these products.
Disclaimer
This site is informational only and is not a substitute for medical, nutrition and/or dermatological advice. If you are in doubt, please seek advice from your physician. The advice on this site is the opinion of Erika Leigh and any/all contributing editors of this site. We are in no way responsible for the effects of said advice.
If you would like to submit your product or if there is an event you would like me to cover for editorial consideration, I can be reached on my contact page. I am located Tampa, Florida and frequently travel around the Tampa metro area, to St. Pete, Clearwater, Sarasota and sometimes outside of the area to Orlando. I still occasionally make visits to Western Massachusetts (Springfield-Hartford, Conn.) and New York City.