Brielle's Notions

gadgets and gizmos aplenty...

Greetings,

I hope you are having a wonderful week.

I don't often talk about items not pertaining to costumes on this little blog, but I thought these items were great and I figured why not?

So this will be a once a month post on the Notions Blog...

Yes, lots of sewing is going on too! Costume items will soon be making their way to the kind customers who purchased them. I just don't have pictures done yet. ...oh, and a few fairytale costumes!"

So here is a post on my current "favorites" of this month....err, last month too?

- The Three Musketeers book by Alexander Dumas. I took a break from sci-fi and decided upon a fun swashbuckling, classic adventure filled read. I wanted a cool leather cover, but I went with this one because it was 50% off instead. This was a great read if you like classics. It actually made me laugh, the sarcastic remarks made by the Musketeers was very Shakespeare-esque. *the book was better than the movie!

- Sweet Mint Balm Perfect for a natural pretty lip, without chemicals! You can find it here. This scent reminds me of candy canes...

- China Glaze Nail Polish in Emerald Fitzgerald. You can find it here. This polish was a gift from my cousin back in February, but it seemed so perfect for this wintery season that I wanted to share it. Super pretty dark green.

- Sword Earrings I bought them in May right before POTC4 came out. They are my go to earrings that match everything...and who doesn't want a touch of pirate everyday?

- Tea!! Coconut Chai from Zhena's Gypsy Tea. One of my favorite brands.  Perfect boost of caffeine for the day too...plus it tastes delicious. You can find it here

- Macadamia Natural Healing Oil. You can buy it here at Ulta. This product is awesome! Totally restores my long hair in the dry winter months. I highly recommend.

- Dracula by Brom Stoker. Isn't is cover awesome? I recieved it for Christmas. You can find your own copy here. Leather bound books make me so happy. The detail on this one is very nice.

Do you have any Current Favorites?

Please feel free to leave your favorites in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

 

*Disclaimer, this is not a sponsored post. Just stuff I liked this month. :)

oh! Isn't this a cool picture? For my fellow LOTR fans I am sure you shall agree....

I don't recall where I found it in my wandering online, so I can't credit anyone for it. Sorry!

 

 

Mermaid Hair Care Routine

Greetings Lords and Ladies,

This has been a highly requested post.

*Disclaimer, I do not think my hair is perfect. lol. far from it, but I hope to help answer a few of the hair care questions I often get. :) Also, I am not paid by Lush or Organix in anyway to advertise their products.

 For my hair care I like to keep things simple. Nothing special really.

I don't use heat styling or a blow dryer. Simply because it seems to dry my hair type out too much. 

My hair doesn't like to curl at all, but  I can easily achieve a natural wave effect by leaving my hair to dry in a braid. So that works when I am in the mood for a wavy look.

But the Mermaid Haircare Secret...is this shampoo bar! 

 

My current favorite hair shampoo is a "shampoo bar" I bought from Lush called Seanik Shampoo Bar. It smells like the ocean, is a pretty shade of blue formulated with sea salt and seaweed..and reminds me of mermaids!

I have been testing this shampoo bar out for 3 months now. I didn't want to do a review on it until I had used it for enough time to actually say if it works.  However, after using it for 3 months I can say my hair is in much better condition and it is "bouncier".

Even after using the bar for that long... I still have more than half of the product left. so I should be good for at least another 3 months time.

Lush is a cool company.  The shampoo I use is a 100% Vegan, however it does have a small trace amount of "un-natural" foaming agents in it. Everything is made with fresh (mostly natural)  ingredients and by hand.

What I like most about shampoo bars is the fact I can replace my regular shampoo/conditioner bottles for a little tin of soap...and my hair feels amazingly soft!

How I use the shampoo bar and hair washing method: 

I only wash my hair every 2 to 3 days. I have a more dry hair type, I do get it wet every time I am in the shower, but I usually only wash it with the shampoo bar every 3 days.

- To use the shampoo bar, simply apply onto your scalp and massage in. Rinse with warm water and then rinse with cold water to make your hair shine.

- Do NOT apply the shampoo all the way down your hair. Simply on your scalp. Otherwise it could dry out lovely locks.

- For conditioner I usually use a bottle of organix. I do not use conditioner every time I wash my hair. (I know sounds crazy) I use it every other time I wash my hair. Reason being I have found with the shampoo bar I don't need to.

 

*in case anyone asks, my hair cut "style" according to the lady at ulta is called "long disconnected layers"...... not sure what that means, but there ya go.

I suggest that if you want to try out a lush shampoo bar to read through all of them to find what might suit your hair type.

Another shampoo bar I really like is this gentle one. If you aren't sure what your hair would like, I would say give this one a try.

So my 5 tips for longer hair care...

• Reduce or eliminate heat styling. (or save it for special occasions)

• Love the hair texture you were given. Whether you are a curly haired maiden or a straight haired mermaid...embrace the hair texture you have and don't force it to be something its not. All hair textures are pretty.

• If you are growing it out remember to still get a trim every now and then. You will be happier with it in the long run and this way you can help prevent slit ends.

• Less products the better!

• Rinse your hair in cold water. (I know this is hard...I don't like getting cold!) however, a quick blast of cold water does wonders for making your hair shine. :) 

 

If you have any other hair care questions just leave them in the comments and I shall do my best to reply.

Thanks for reading!

 P.S.

My other "hair" posts are here and here

 

 

Welcome to my sewing blog!

Greetings,

Thank you for visiting my little blog in syber space. This is simply going to be a place for me to share sewing tips, costume ideas and a bit of what goes on behind the scenes at Brielle's Costume Wardrobe.

I shall also be sharing some of my favorite movie costumes and designers.

 
 
 Thank you for visiting! If you like, please leave a comment to say hello or let me know what you would like to see here at my blog.

                           Sincerely,