Brielle's Notions

Mermaid and Pirate Cuffs in stock!

Greetings,

I am pleased to announce that the Pirate Cuffs are back in stock on my Etsy Shop!

The new style this month is "Mermaid Pirate Cuffs"...inspired by my favorite attention to the Pirate's Cast. Syrena the Mermaid. 

The collection features cuffs with shells, pearls, glass beads, fishnet and golden coins. Perfect for adding a dash of Mermaid style to your everyday look.

A close up of some of the details....

The Cuffs come in sizes S, M and L.

It was great this time because I was able to have models for each hand size.

The ones featured on this page is the size small that I am modeling, but on the Etsy Shop all the size pictures will be seen.

ok one last picture.....this one seemed very "mermaid-like" to me.

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Tia Pirate Cuffs are also back in stock!!!

All of the Cuffs can be found here in the Etsy Shop

Thanks for reading! A Pirates Life for me!!

But you have heard of me.........

Just one of those kinds of days.

I was feeling pirate-y today....

....so why not paint my nails with a mermaid color?

This is one of my favorite nail colors. It is "stranger tides" from OPI's Pirates Mermaid collection that came out last year. It makes my skin look...almost translucent? VERY mermaid like I think.

The color doesn't show up the best in these photos, but you get the idea. It is a murky pale green color with a white undertone.

It reminds me of summer... even though it is snowing outside.

You can see my "mermaid's tears" color in  this post I wrote in May 2011 or to see more mermaid posts click here . Or if you like pirates. Feel free to browse the blog. I kind of have a thing for pirates.....

 

 Back to the sewing room I go....

.....I think it is due time for a Pirates of the Caribbean Marathon.

 

 Drink up me hearties yo ho!

*don't know the source of the above edited POTC photos to credit them, sorry! The nail pics are mine. 

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

 

 

Sci-Fi Princess Makeup....and other looks

Greetings! 

Today I wanted to share something that has nothing to do with sewing, but I suppose could carry over into the costume realm...or everyday life.

I have recently been on a hunt to find some high quality mineral eye shadow that were natural and vegan. However, I was also looking for a good color selection.

Well my journey took me to Etsy and I happened upon the store Madison Street Beauty.

The colors I received are just perfect and exactly what I was looking for. She also included some sample colors that I have added to a couple of the looks below. How fun!

I did not do tutorials for these looks, just simple pictures so you can get ideas of what these eye colors can do. I am not a lipstick girl, so I always do my makeup with focus on the eyes and a nude lip gloss or light pink balm.

** All makeup pictures are un-touched and NOT photo shopped. You are seeing exactly how the makeup looks and my natural lashes and skin color.  **

 

Sci-Fi Princess Smokey Makeup.

For this look, I wanted to play with a more dark green color palette and have a bit of fun. Plus, I have a love for sci-fi stuff anyway and the color names reminded me of that....so why not?

 

Colors used: Black Orchid, Fern, Stardust, Galaxy

 
Description: angled smokey eye in a galaxy sky inspired color selection. Lots of mascara and a bit of liquid liner completes the look.

 

Bronze Pirate Eye Makeup.

 

This look was actually inspired by Keira Knightley's Bronze Makeup look she often wears at premiers, events...etc. However I was able to achieve it with natural products! I toned down the look just a little bit for everyday wear...being I am not going to a red carpet event at the moment.

 
Colors Used: Antique Rose, Cacao and Champagne.

 

Description: bronze smokey eye with lighter golden highlights and lots of mascara, focusing more on the outer corner lashes. This look could easily be worn with pirate costumes too!

 

Natural Mermaid Eye Makeup.

 

Here is a look I have done just for everday wear. Simple, clean looking with a touch of mermaid shimmer.

 
Colors Used: Bronze Sand, Seafoam

 
 

Description: Natural looking lid color with a touch of shimmer on the inner corner. A bit of mascara and you are good to go!

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Other products used in the looks above: physicians formula organic wear mascara and physicians formula eye booster serum eyeliner in dark black. Brushes are a random selection from my kit.

On a side note, these looks are all super fast! I did the Bronze Pirate Eye in about 6 minutes.

So if you are looking for makeup that works well and stays on for a very long time I highly recommend MadisonStreetBeauty. Also I bought all the products myself, I am not being paid to advertise, just wanted to share a great makeup find. :)

So what do you think? Do you have a favorite look?

Thanks for reading!

P.S. If you "Like" Madison Street Beauty on Facebook you can get a coupon code for placing an order. Visit the page here and get 25% off! :)

Mermaid Fashion

Greetings!

I have some sewing posts and Arwen dress construction posts in the works, but I wanted to share this fun fashion find first.

I just noticed in this picture of Astrid Berges-Frisbey (who plays Syrena the Mermaid in the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean movie) was wearing a starfish ear cuff. Isn't that cute?  I like how she added a bit of mermaid fashion to her look.

 

Her fashion look is one of my favorites. Simple pretty hair, natural looking shimmery makeup and a single silver accent. Her clothing colors seem to be in pretty jewel tones as well in most of her looks.

I was checking out a few places to purchase your own starfish ear cuff and I actually found some. I might have to get one soon. Etsy had a pretty one here and amazon had a gold one here.

Oh! here is another pretty silver starfish here.

What do you think? Should I add a touch of mermaid fashion to my look?

Mermaid Nails

So I was able to get my hands on the Mermaid Tears color, by OPI.

 It is from the Pirates of the Caribbean Color Collection released in May.

* sorry about the shawdows there in the above picture.

  

 It seems to be a perfect summery mermaid color. I also have "Stranger Tides" color that I think is more of a real mermaid color, so I shall be posting pictures of that soon.

You can view the whole collection here at the OPI website.