REVIEW: Flower Beauty

Flower Beauty is a make-up line that highlights affordability and quality. Flower's philosophy is that you should not have to spend a lot of money for good quality products. That's a philosophy I like! I love beauty products but I am often discouraged by prices.

When I first discovered Flower I was really excited to try out some of their stuff. With an A-list actress behind the brand like Drew Barrymore, I figured the products would have to be half-ways decent.

When it comes to face products (foundation, powders, concealers etc.) I am more willing to spend money on higher-end products. Due to how affordable the Flower brand is I decided to try both a foundation and powder. As well, I picked up an eye brow pencil, lip chubby, and mascara.

Check out my review of these products below!

My camera has kind of been acting up lately, so these pictures are not of the greatest quality. (Sorry!!) 

I actually love this eyebrow pencil. I have thick eyebrows naturally so I only use brow pencils for minor enhancements. I find the application smooth and you do not have to be heavy handed with this pencil. It is definitely a great pencil for someone looking for only minor eyebrow tweaking. 

I decided to try out the Flower beauty foundation because their prices are really decent. When it comes to skin products I usually vouch for higher end products. Although I think that this product has great coverage, I find it hard to work with. I have relatively dry skin and I found this foundation difficult to apply and blend. 

I am a huge, huge fan of lip products. I am generally pretty loyal to any and all Rimmel lipsticks. But I adore this lip chubby by Flower. This is by far my favourite product of theirs. I find this lip chubby smooth in application and the result to be matte. I do wish they had more of a selection of colours, maybe in time. 

When it comes to mascaras I generally go with whatever is cheapest. But, that hasn't always worked out for me. I think this mascara adds great volume and doesn't clump. This mascara claims to be a 3-1, with a brush that you can manually twist. By twisting the brush you are supposed to achieve three different looks; volumizing, curling, and lengthening. Honestly, I do not see much of a difference between the three setting. But I do think it's worth a try, especially considering the pricing. 

As I previously stated I do not generally cheap out on skin products. But I did want to try out this Flower powder. I do not have much to say about this particular product because it's not very good. It provides very minimal coverage and the application is not very good at all. 

Overall, I find these products to be generally pretty good. Flower beauty offers a lot more products that I am definitely going to give a try. Once I do, I will be sure to create another review on this brand. I will most likely be re-purchasing both the lip chubby and the eyebrow pencil. (Highly recommend!)

Thanks for reading! If you have tried out any of Flower beauty's products let me know what you think in the comments below! 

My 2014 Journey..

At the beginning of this year I knew I wanted to make great changes in my life. I had been living life the same way day-to-day for the last three years and was unhappy. I took the time to evaluate everything that was happening in my life. I am a college student with good grades, I have

an amazing family and true friends. So why wasn't I happy? The truth; I was happy with everything happening around me but not with myself. 

For years I have struggled with my weight. I've never thought you had to be thin to be happy or beautiful. But my self-confidence was suffering and I didn't like the choices I was making in my life. The first thing I learned in wanting to lose weight, is probably the most important.. You cannot do it for anyone but YOURSELF. I have tried a million different diets; that maybe should have worked. But when it came down to it, I was always doing it for someone else. For my family, for a boy, etc, etc, etc. 

I kicked off my weight loss with this amazing program called the P.I.N.K. Method. This program aided in my weight loss because it simply taught me how to eat again. It eliminated all those foods I had been relying on for years and focused on nourishing my body. After following this method for a month, I found I no longer needed it. I was now able to make more conscious decisions and follow my own guidelines. This is when I started to introduce exercise into my weight loss journey. I was not a girl who liked to exercise. I never got off on running marathons, lifting weights or doing any other high intensity workout. In fact, if I am completely honest.. I didn't even like to sweat. What I discovered is that I couldn't kick my own butt at the gym, so I had to get someone else to do it for me. First, it was my sister who would force me to the gym. She's always been a touch terrifying and in the beginning that's what I needed. Then I got braver, I signed up for boot camp. My first session I thought I might throw up and had visions of pushing the instructor onto a busy highway. If you know what I mean... But as time went on, the sessions got easier and easier. 

After struggling with my hatred of exercise for so long. I have actually learned to love it and enjoy my time "sweating" it out. I have learned so much over this last year and I am excited to share my experiences with all of you! 

Check out some snapshots of my journey over the past year.  

-Fruity Water Drink-

-P.I.N.K. Method Meal-

 -Fifty-Five Down//Twenty-Five To Go-

Time Managment?

Time; the one thing I have never been able to get a handle on. I cannot believe it has been three long months since my last blog post. I say "long" but in actuality these three months have gone by incredibly fast! I have not been avoiding my blog in anyway; I have just been busy. Busy, putting myself through school, working on myself and discovering new opportunities. Ideally, I wish I would have been able to manage my time more effectively and made time for the things I love. Things I love like this blog. This blog has been a great outlet for me over the years and it will continue to be. As previously mentioned in this post I've been working on myself. It is this work that has made me  the happiest I have ever been. Since the beginning of this year, I have been on a journey. And it is a journey, I am excited to share with you all here. Stay tuned... 

 

WARNING: This picture is irrelevant to this post. But, it's just so darn cute!!

DENIM HEAVEN

Lately I have been obsessed with trying to make my own "destroyed" denim shorts. I have been seeing them everywhere and everyone is wearing them. As a student on a budget, I don't have the time nor money to look for those perfect pair of jean shorts. I am very particular of what I am looking for and I don't have a lot of money to waste... So I thought, why not make my own? I never seem to throw out jeans and over the years have acquired quite a collection.After spending hours looking through YouTube videos on DIY demin shorts. I finally found two perfect videos that helped me in my quest. I thought I would share these videos with all of you. If I have one piece of advice; measure a billion times and cut once!! Check out the videos and my DIY "destroyed" denim shorts below! 

How to cut high waisted jean shorts: 

http://youtu.be/_V2ALny3jV4

How to destroy your denim: 

http://youtu.be/dvI-0o6IF54

My destroyed denim shorts:

FAV. BLOGGING TOOLS -PART I

Recently I've been having a number of issues with my computer and it has led me to realize how reliant I am on certain computer programs. These computer issues have also contributed significantly to my lack of posts over the last couple months. Getting all my computer programs and files back together it has opened my eyes to some of my favourite blogging tools. Programs and websites that I use regularly in creating content for my blog. In the spirit of getting back to blogging and the glorious health of my computer... I thought I would share with you some of my favourite blogging tools.  

1. PIC MONKEY (www.picmonkey.com)

I am constantly using Pic Monkey to edit and dress my photos up. I have more recently become a fan of adding boarders to my favourite photos; so this website has come much in hand.

2. PAINT 

I know, I know. Paint has been around forever and is truly out of date. I just find using this program so easy and it is not at all confusing. I find with a lot of design programs I don't end up utilizing half of the features, simply because I don't know what they do. I have been using paint for years and thus far it has met all of my design needs. Whenever I create a new header for my blog, I always use paint!

3. BLOGLOVIN' (www.bloglovin.com) 

Bloglovin' is a great tool to use for not only following your favourite blogs, but promoting your own! The concept is simple, all of your favourite blogs in one place. No more navigating from site to site. Find me on Bloglovin' and I will be sure to follow back! 

4. INSTAGRAM (www.instagram.com/vickimariee)

I am so obsessed with Instagram! I love connecting with people from all around the world and sharing my favourite photos with my friends. As a blogger I find Instagram to be an amazing tool that all fellow bloggers should be utilizing. It is a great way to snap a good quality picture on the go. As well, it can help drive a lot of traffic to your site, if used properly. 

Follow me on Instagram - @vickimariee

5. DIGGO (www.diggo.com)

I am always looking for fun ways to keep organized, especially when it comes to my blog. Diggo is a cool way to keep track of interesting articles, video, & websites. It's a convenient way to sort your thoughts until  you finally get the chance to write that blog post. Diggo also supports mobile devices which I find super convenient for a student who is usually at school or working. 

6. AFTERLIGHT (App)

Afterlight is one of my favourite apps on my phone. It is a great picture editing and enhancer that I love to use in combination with Instagram. I would highly recommend this app to any frequent Instagramers and bloggers. There are a lot of editing options on this app that you cannot find anywhere else. I absolutely adore this app. 

What are your favourite blogging tools?

SUMMER BOTTOMS!

I usually wouldn't think to put together a post like this. But, I have noticed this summer I have been increasingly obsessed with purchasing summer bottoms. And by "summer bottoms" I mean shorts, jeans, skirts, and such. Check out my favourite summer bottoms below! 

H&M

Target

Old Navy

H&M

H&M

H&M

TOP BEAUTY SHOPS . . .

Online shopping is one of the most amazing inventions ever; though it can be extremely dangerous. I have more recently taken to browsing and buying things online. Although it is easy to get carried away, it also makes life a little easier. One thing I have noticed is there is always a deal to be found online...

Check out my list of my favourite online shops!

FEEL UNIQUE 

A ton of designer products, free shipping worldwide on orders over $20, and amazing deals. Could it get any better?

BEYOND THE RACK

So much variety!! Absolutely amazing deals on designer clothes & accessories. 

ASOS

So much variety & absolutely adorable apparel. 

TOBI

50% off your first order! Free shipping anywhere in Canada. Yes. Please. 

JUSTFAB

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes. 

- Vicki xox

Where do you love to shop?

DRUG STORE SAVER . . .

In the midst of my third year as a post-secondary student, I have learned a few things along the way. One in particular that I have talked to before is saving money. I love my make-up and of course there are certain items and brands that I sometimes splurge on. But with money tight and a not-so disposable income any more... I've learned to adapt. Over the last couple of years I have become friendlier with drug store brands. I've came across great product and horrible products. But I'll take the good with the bad if it means saving some money here and there. I thought I would share with you all my favourite drug store products and brands!

What's your favourite drug store brand?

MAYBELLINE - DREAM MATTE MOUSSE

ANNABELLE - LIP PENCIL (Buff & Rose)

RIMMEL - KATE LIPSTICKS 

COVERGIRL - TRU BLEND (Powder)

MAYBELLINE - ROCKET VOLUM' EXPRESS

COVERGIRL - TRU BLEND (Foundation) 

MAYBELLINE - DREAM BOUNCY BLUSH

ANNABELLE - EYEBROW PENCIL

L'OREAL - SUPER SLIM LIQUID EYELINER 

L'OREAL - COLOR INFALLIBLE EYE SHADOW

- VICKI

xox

SPRING FAVOURITES . . .

After a long and harsh winter here in Canada, spring has finally arrived. I have been absolutely busting at the seams to purchase some spring wear. It is safe to say I have gone a little crazy in the last while with my spring purchases. Check out some of my spring favourites below!

What have you been waiting all winter to bust out? 

PINK CHEETAH PRINT PURSE - JESSICA SIMPSON

GETAWAY BAG - VICTORIA SECRET

SUNGLASSES - COLE HAAN

 WRISTLET - CALVIN KLEIN

STUDDED CREAM WALLET 

SPRING NAILS

CORAL MAKE-UP BAG - MIMOSA

JEAN JACKET - DENVER HAYES VINTAGE

RIMMEL LIPSTICKS - KATE # 109/06/102/17

GIORGIO ARMANI - SI

-VICKI XOX