Current Loves : Beauty Products and Reviews!

I know I'm always telling you guys about some totally random product I love. Today I decided to go through a short list of these super affordable products and tell you why I love them. That way you can decide for yourself if you want to try them out! Here they are in no particular order :

September Favs by flairbybrandi featuring maybelline nail polish

1) Carmex Moisture Shine chapstick:  This stuff is great. It totally revives dry lips and brings them to life! It is a great moisturizing chapstick. I've actually been putting it on every night before I go to sleep, and there is a huge difference in my lips.

2) Neutrogena Anti Blemish Anti Wrinkle Face Wash : This stuff is great! I have tried every kind of face wash you can think of and right now this is what works for me! Love the way my skin feels after washing my face! My skin looks much healthier now too!

3) Advanced Techniques Moisturizing Hair Mask : Love this stuff! It is a type of conditioning mask that leaves hair super soft and shiny! It also helps to repair dry or damaged hair and treat split ends. Love it!

4) Bath and Body Works Secret Wonderland: Have you smelled this stuff? Oh man, it smells so good! I keep a bottle in my purse so I can spray it any time I want a boost!

5)FX Curls Up: WOW! I have naturally curly/wavy hair that I normally hate. I tend to straighten it or pull it up half the time. If I leave it "natural" I need to put some type of product in it so it doesn't get huge or frizzy. This stuff is AMAZING! It isn't a stiff gel or spray. It looks like gel when you put it in your palm, but once it's in your hair it dries so soft! It gave my curls a boost and left my hair so soft that you can easily run your fingers through it with no tangles. No more gels for me! This stuff is totally my fav right now!

6) Neutrogena On The Spot: This is a great spot treatment for breakouts. I just switched brands again,but have found this to work great! Love it!

7) Maybelline Falsies Mascara: I love the boost this gives my lashes. It doesn't clump at all and totally lengthens my lashes!

8) Maybellines Color Show Polish and NYC Matte Polish : The color show polishes come in a great shades and go on great. For me the polish lasts a week without chipping! The Matte Polish is one of my new favorites. It is a clear top coat that can totally transform the look of any polish! These are all great!

What are your current favorites?

Xoxo,

Brandi

Yummy Caviar Nails: Get the 411 on This Trend and Review of Donna Michelle's Caviar

Caviar nails first appeared last fall during the Cushnie et Ochs' runway show. They wanted a more glam and edgy look with lots of texture. After this look appeared on the runway Ciate, a popular nail polish brand from the UK, thought they would make achieving this look much easier. Since then this trend has taken off, and several other brands have picked up on making their version of this nail embellishment! Getting this look is actually much easier than you think, and is considered a "beginners" look. For all you polish fans without much "artsy" ability, this look will be easy to achieve.

Nail Caviar by flairbybrandi featuring a nail care

Here are a few photos from the Cushnie et Ochs' runway show.

Check out this quick how to I found from Madame Noire. See how easy this is?



 

How to Caviar by flairbybrandi on Polyvore

On one of my quick mini makeup hauls I came across these cute mini bottles of nail caviar and foils from Donna Michelle. The price...$1.00 each. I couldn't resist! I finally had a few minutes to do a quick manicure and wanted to try them out. Everyone says how quick and easy they are, so I decided I would test the theory myself!

Here is the package the mini bottles of nail caviar came in. There are 8 different colors including: light pink, teal blue, white, hot pink, red, mint green, yellow/gold, and navy blue.

 

 I just tested out Maybellines Color Show Metallics in Bold Gold, so I went with the yellow gold color..

 

 Pour on the caviar...
 

Once you have covered your nail pat beads down. This is before I smoothed them out.
 

 

The finished look

 

It actually turned out pretty good. These pictures were not taken in natural light, so the flash on the camera did distort the picture some. I plan to take more pictures when the sun is actually shining.

My thoughts...

I think these are a fun way to add texture to any manicure. They were easy to use, but when you pour the caviar beads onto your nail it does make a mess! You need to do this over a plate in order to catch the excess pieces, otherwise you will find these tiny colorful embellishments all over your house! So the question here...are these little bottles of nail caviar worth it? The answer :yes! Who wouldn't pay $1.00 for a fun textured manicure! Try them and let me know what you think!

Xoxo,

Brandi

 

 

And My Weakness Is...

Just a few of my weaknesses... What are yours?

My weakness by flairbybrandi featuring a leather clutch

Quick and Easy Mani

I didn't have a lot of time to do much of a mani yesterday, so I decided on a fast gradient look. I used five different shades from pink to mauve. Then I was in a rush to get a few things done before bed and ended up smudging and chipping the paint! Just my luck! I had this look long enough to take the picture before it was a complete mess! Glad this was quick and easy!

A Month in Makeup

Just in case you missed any of the past months makeup looks here they are! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday! I have several upcoming posts planned this week and a few more makeup looks!

 

Quick Mani : Shocking Seas Zebra

A Quick Mani : Shocking Seas with Deep Blue Sea zebra stripes via instagram:

I used Maybelline Shocking Seas Color Show polish and CQ cosmetics Deep Blue Sea for the zebra stripes. I really love the new Maybelline Color Show polish! What do you guys think?

In My Shopping Bag : Beauty Products

As you know I am a huge fan of makeup (in addition to fashion, design, and the like). I am also a fan of bargains! As much as I love to try new things it's good to find items with reasonable prices! Don't get me wrong, I don't mind spending more on quality products! I have my higher end items and my bargain finds (Walmart, Target, eBay, etc). Here is what I recently purchased, my reviews on the items, and color swatches.

Nail Polishes:

I know, I know! I am constantly picking up polish! I have admitted before that I hate having to go grocery shopping and usually stop by the polish isle to motivate myself! I don't get polish every time I go out, but at the prices I purchased these for I think it would be ok! All of these polishes are under $4.00 and the Pure Ice and Wet N Wild are under $2.00! Can I bargain shop or what?

Going top to bottom left to right are : 1) Sally Hansen- Wedding Crasher 2) Sally Hansen- Gentle Blossom 3) NYC- Moma 4) Wet N Wild- Under Your Spell 5) Pure Ice- Heart breaker 6) Pure Ice- Silver Mercedes 7) Pure Ice- Spit fire 8) Pure Ice- Twinkle

Eyeshadow Singles

Ulta had a sale online so I ordered a few different shadows. These four are Ulta's brand. Here are the shadows and color swatches.

1) Cherry Bomb- this is a matte red. 2) Honey Bee- A shimmery yellow 3) Mimosa- Simmer orange 4) Thrill Seeker- hot pink.

I liked all four of these, but my two favorites were the pink and red. The shimmer shades almost looked too powdery on. Even after blending it almost looked like some of the pigment would form clumps due to the coloring. Thrill Seeker is my favorite!

Lipsticks

These were also great finds and all under $2.00!

I really liked all of them, but I still think my favorites are the pink shades (1- Blossom and 4- Dollhouse pink).

Liner

I picked up this N.Y.C. white liner pencil a few days ago. This was under $1.00. I uses this for the waterline of my eye and it works great!

Makeup Remover

 Since I love trying new makeup looks I go through quite a bit of makeup remover for my eyes! I used Clinique for quite a while, but finally started trying different brands (that didn't cost over $20.00). I recently found a brand similar to Neutrogena's oil free makeup remover. This is the Walmart brand. The Equate remover was under $4.00, and worked amazing! This is the oil free remover. It took off the makeup really easily and didn't dry out my skin.

 

Those were my recent makeup purchases (for super cheap)! What bargain products have you recently purchased that you love? Happy Friday everyone. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!

Facts About Me : Things I Love Part One

I started a new series on Facts About Me last week and decided that this week I would post a few things I love (or my current obsessions!). Here is part one of the Things I Love!

Number One: Instagram

I finally downloaded the app to my phone a few days ago and love it! I have been playing with it since! I love how it can change the look of a photo and give it an entirely different feel. It makes me wonder why I waited so long to download it! Ok ok...I am a little behind I admit it! Here are a few random photos on my instagram.

Going left to right down the rows- Me and Ty seven months ago, Ty got me these hand carved wooden flowers (also been hand dipped) yesterday, me a few months ago, a wall in our room,  Ty eating a late night snack of cinnamon toast crunch haha, so random..a cup of coffee.

Number Two: Nail Polish

I love love love nail polish ( I love all makeup really lol). Nail polish is one of my favorites and I can't seem to take a trip to the store without getting a new shade! I think I have every color under the sun and several shades of each color!

Number Three: Polyvore Website

If you haven't checked out the site you should! I was also a bit late in this too! When I finally did sign up for my account (it's free) I loved it! You can make so many different collages and sets! Here is one I did on two different date night looks.

Number Four: Thrift Shopping

I know I have mentioned this several times before, but this is kind of a hobby for me! I always find such amazing things and the best part is the price! It is like a treasure hunt every time you go! I usually don't go shopping with anything in particular in mind just things that catch my eye! Here are a two of my finds. These are Coach leather boots and Coach espadrilles. Both pair were under $3.00 each! You can't beat that!

 

Number Five :  My Family (of course)

I am so lucky to have such an amazing man in my life and two wonderful son's! I don't know what I would do without my family. They are my world! I can't leave out my mom and my grandmother who have both done so much for me through the years! I love you all to the moon and back!!!

Pink and Blue : Great Color Combos and Finds

Spring and Summer is all about bright vivid colors! Today I was browsing through a few items in pink and blue. Here are a few of my finds.

Pink and Blue by flairbybrandi

In My Makeup Bag

Today I decided to pick a few items from my makeup collection (yes I have TONS) and show everyone. I can't seem to leave my house without picking up a new shadow or polish! Here are a few of my current favorite items!

1. Tons of brushes for shadow, foundation, blush, bronzer, lip, etc! I love my brushes! 2. Avon eyeshadow quads. I have most of the quads they offer. The color is great and lasts a long time! 3.Avon super shock mascara. This stuff works wonders! 4. Avon perfect match foundation. Not too heavy with great coverage and a shade to match every skin tone. 5. Glimmersticks eyeliner and brow liner. Love this stuff! 6. Nail Art paints! 7. Nail polish- I think I have every shade under the sun! 8. Bronzer. 9. Cover girl pink lipstick. 10. Clinique makeup remover. This stuff is great for removing all your makeup and being gentile on your skin. 11. More eyeshadow! I have so many shadows and a few different pallets. I love being able to mix and match colors to create fun looks!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday!

Xoxo,

Brandi

Monday's Fast Mani

I didn't have much time today to have fun with my mani, so I decided on something simple. I painted my nails with two coats of Sally Hansen Nailgrowth Miracle in Gentle Blossom. For a fun touch I added Pure Ice in Heart breaker to my thumb nail and ring finger nails. The Gentle Blossom is a light mint color and the Heart breaker is a shimmering teal. Here's the look!

Xoxo,

Brandi

On My Shopping List

I came across these great finds and had to add them to my list of current wants!

1. Clinique High Impact Lipstick in Extreme Pink 2. Coach Audrey Metallic Cinched Leather Tote 3. Guess Korrine T-Strap Sandals 4. Gianni Bini Ruffel Skirt 5. Kate Spade Shades 6. M.S.S.P. Braided Waist Jersey Dress 7. Essie Lux Effects Shattered Pink Diamond Glitz

What's on your shopping list? Happy Monday!!

Xoxo,

Brandi

Eyes and Nails: The Past Month

Being the nerd that I am I decided to do a collage of my makeup looks from the past month. These are shadow and nail looks. I plan to do full face looks soon and a few tutorials of my everyday look (you don't get to see that often since I don't post that one!). Some of these were really fun since I stepped outside the box and tried something different. Hope you like it!

More looks to come soon!!

Xoxo,

Brandi

Today's Nail Look : Newspaper Nails

I was beyond sleepy last night, but needed (wanted) to paint my nails. I decided on something quick. I grabbed my Avon Vintage Blue and quickly painted on two coats before I fell asleep! They didn't smudge to badly during the night!

While I drank my coffee this morning and looked through the sales in the paper I thought "Newspaper Nails"! The print from the paper actually came off pretty well. All I did was dipped my nails in Isopropyl Alcohol, put small pieced of the newspaper (pieces I cut) across the nail for about 20 seconds, and lifted off. To set the ink I applied a clear coat. This took all of about five minutes since I already applied a base coat of color last night!

Here's the Newspaper Nails!

Xoxo,

Brandi Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Look of The Day : Lavender Smoke and Silver Ice

Here are the looks I created for the day with the new shadow and polish I got. I did a lavender smokey eye with my eyes and a fun icy look with my nails.


This is the Wet N Wild Petal Pusher eyeshadow pallet look. I used the darker colors to create a smokey eye. I really like the pigment of the colors.

Here is the polish look created with Pure Ice Silver Mercedes, Sally Hansen Ice Queen, and rhinestones on my ring finger. A bit messy, but what can you do when you are rushing?!

 Hope everyone is having a great weekend and a wonderful Sunday!

Xoxo,

Brandi  

Manicures and Car Work Don't Mix

My husband is an auto mechanic and has been working quite a bit lately. He has been doing several side jobs in addition to his normal work week. The car he is working on now has been giving him issues, so I have been attempting to help. Please keep in mind I know nothing about fixing cars!

Last night I decided it was time to paint my nails. I don't think that was such a good idea now! About five minutes into my painting he asked if I would help him out! Needless to say I rushed to finish painting and of course managed to smear the paint while helping him!

Here was my attempted look...forgive the smudges and polish on my skin lol. I will have to try this again when I actually have time! I do believe I will be repainting my nails tonight!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Thursday! I know mine has been busy! Hopefully I will have time to get some of those projects started soon!

Xoxo,

Brandi

Nail Polish Trends

It is no secret that I am a fan of fun and fabulous nails! I have always loved nail art and having fun with fun designs! It is such an easy and fashionable way to stand out from the normal everyday manicure! Here are a few styles and colors I found that were interesting! I am definitely going to be trying some of these out soon!

Img from A Prettier Place

This is a great gradient look! The pink darkens as it reaches the tip of the nail. I really love this look. There are a few different ways to achieve the gradient look. Check back for my DIY tutorial on this polish style.

Img from Elle

This is a glitter ombre look. This is a trend right now and is one of the easiest looks to achieve. You simply pick your colors in the same family and paint each nail accordingly. If you are limited on polish choices you can any color of your choice and add a drop of white polish per nail to lighten the color. So the first nail would be the dark color, second would have one drop of white added and mixed, third would have two drops of white and mixed, etc. Easy as pie!

Img Free Fashion Design

Spring and Summer is all about fun bold and bright colors! This orange adds a great splash of color to a solid colored manicure. Other popular colors now are teals, yellows, and purples!

Img Fashion

This is such a fun look! Again this is much easier to achieve than it looks! The swirl affect is a great way to put different designs with multiple colors on your nails. To get this look simply pick out a few colors you want, add a drop or two to a small bowl of water, swirl with a toothpick, and dip nails face down! The excess polish on the sides of the nail can be removed with a q-tip and polish remover!

Img Fashion Weekly

Embellished nails are quite a trend right now! Kits are being sold to help achieve this look, but you don't need a kit to embellish your nails! Glitter, rhinestones, or other fun items can be used to get the look. Smaller pieces can be placed on the nail by a clear coat or a small dab of nail glue, then set the stone or embellishment with another thicker coat of clear polish!

Img Flair By Brandi

I did this glitter look a few weeks ago.The picture doesn't even begin to show the actual shine on my nails! I did a thin coat of pink, put some hot pink glitter in with a dab of clear polish and coated my nails. Then the top coat was another sparkle polish from Sally Hanson.









Have some fun and try a new nail trend! I would love to see your pictures! Have a great Wednesday!


Xoxo,

Brandi