Are You Having Trouble Sleeping?

Are You Having 
Trouble Sleeping?
We all need our beauty rest- 
especially after a long day of
doing school work or dealing with
a bothersome boss. For some reason
though, either because our minds don't 
want to shut up or our body's want to keep
going, sleeping becomes a difficult task.       


So earlier this week, sleeping became a nightmare for me. I tossed and turned, my eyes didn't want to stay shut and I kept getting the urge to get back up. I figured out that because of certain events that I've gone through lately, my mind is constantly throwing chatter parties. I tried things to stop my mind chatter like: watching movies hoping to fall asleep on them but I only ended up watching the whole thing instead. The first good nights rest I got was last night so I'm going to share with you how I got my beauty sleep breakthrough and giving you possible reasons why you might be having trouble sleeping too.

~Stress~

Stress is number one on my list for making beauty sleep impossible. Whether life is showing you a rough time or you have so many things to do yet so little time to do them, it makes sleeping a lot harder to do. So how do you get rid of stress?

Stop thinking about things so hard and so often.

We all want to live happily and stress free but, life happens. Sometimes things go on that we can't control. The best way to deal with this is to find some time during the day where you stop thinking about it so much. Find activities that will direct your thought patterns else where. For example: going on a hike with your friends, having a girls night out, throwing or planning a massive slumber party or find a party to go to. Always make sure that you have a support system with you no matter what activity you choose because if you go alone, chances are, the thoughts will creep right back up on you. 

 Stop thinking about what's going to happen tomorrow.

Tomorrow isn't here yet. Why are you busy worrying about what the next day holds? Worried about outfits? Plan them before you go to bed. Let tomorrow handle itself because obviously you can't control what happens to it the night before.

Put your phone away!

Yes, a difficult task, I know (especially when youre in an amazing relationship) but if youre serious about sleeping, put it away. Tell your friends you're going to bed and you'll talk to them in the morning because when youre in conversations, time flies. It may be 9 when you last look at the clock and then all of sudden its 2 am and you have to be up within a few hours. Then, with the thought of how many hours you have left to sleep, you get stressed because you're busy beating yourself up for staying up as late as you did which makes it harder for you to fall asleep. That being said, putting your phone away is a major part of getting the rest your longing for.

If you know it will keep you up, turn off your TV.

 If you know your tv is going to distract you, turn it off. From experience, I know that even if you've seen a certain movie or certain episode a million times, you're still going to manage to laugh at something or be anxious to watch the full thing. Then, watching one thing turns into watching another, and another and another and then you wind up pulling an all nighter- the exact opposite of what you want to accomplish. So if you know it will keep you up, turn off your TV.

  Keep iced water next to your bed.

Sometimes at night, the air causes your throat to get dry which is pretty uncomfortable. A quick cure for that is just to keep iced water by your bed. It will sooth your throat and help you feel refreshed and relaxed which will make it easier for you fall back asleep. 

Keep your room clean and organized.

Last but not least, keep your room clean and organized. Constantly being around clutter and confusion eventually makes your mind uncomfortable. When your mind is uncomfortable, it starts its chatter sessions which makes your body uncomfortable, making falling asleep a lot harder. Keeping your room clean and organized helps your mind feel clean and organized. When your mind feels clean and organized, it has no reason to keep you up at night.  

*If falling asleep is a lot harder than any of this, you may want to see your doctor for further help.*

 

An It Girls Guide to Fall Fashion: Menswear

 Menswear is on this season's radar! Blazers, tailored vests, suits and pencil skirts are the essential go-for items. Here are some outfit guides for help you  apply the trend to your daily outfits:

Alessandra Ambrosio's look to the left is an example of an outfit perfect for events like brunch meetings or a casual day at the office while the look to the right is prefect for formal business meetings. 

The best thing about the menswear trend is you can make your outfits casual for a nice day out but have it also be perfect for the office or work at the same time! The outfit I created below is excellent for work, a lunch date or a day out with your girls! The blazer adds the work chic to the outfit. If you get rid of it, you have the perfect look for a day out. The tossled curls and red lips adds sophistication which is great for any occasion and the design of the bag makes it versitile for work as well as everyday events. The watch gives off the "office menswear" vibe and the necklace and shoes help make the outfit more casual.

Menswear #1 by flairberry featuring high heels

The same applies to Kourtney's outfit only you don't need to take the blazer off for the perfect day look. Her outfit is great for casual meetings yet it still works for going out for lunch or going shopping! The romper's fun print, the sunglasses and shoes all attribute to making the outfit casual.

I hope I helped you today! :) Give me your feedback by commenting below and stay tuned in for more blog posts!

Love,

Flair <3

An It Girls Guide To Staying Organized For School

Organization is a huge part of being successful at school. When you're organized, homework is never late, assignments are always done, important papers that your parents need to sign are always signed and ready to be turned in on time and so on. Being organized is one of the most important keys to having good grades in school so today, I'm giving you ideas on how to stay organized throughout the year.

Keeping Track Of School Assignments

I would recommend that you get a checklist app and a calendar app on your phone or iPod for making sure that all of your assignments are done and ready to be turned in on time. Keep all of your assignments on a checklist and every time an assignment is FULLY completed tap the check spot. You don't want to check it off if you're "pretty much done" or "almost done" because that only causes confusion which leads to disorganization.
For the calendar app set an "event" date for when you're project is due and set it so that it warns you at least 5 days ahead and on the day when you need to turn it in.

Another way that you could keep track of your assignments is by using an accordion file. These things are a LIFE SAVER!! My grades were low because of my disorganization with keeping up with hand outs and homework. My teacher gave me one of these to help me become organized and my grades went from C's to A's! It helped me keep track of everything- every assignment, every important paper, permission slips!
The accordian file has different tabs and comes with white slips to label and put inside the tabs. I kept a tab for every class, I put all of my handouts from each class in their labeled tabs and in the very back, I put all of my homework assignments and permission slips in their own tab. I highly recommend using an accordion file because it makes staying organized easy! These things are truly amazing and are definitely a great investment for school.

Keeping Track Of Pencils

This one makes me LOL because the one thing I always lose in school are my pencils! You buy a whole pack and then within a week, they're all gone. This is the best way I have learned to keep track of them:

I recommend mechanical pencils because you don't have to worry about sharpening them and then having to deal with the mess of shreds. To keep a track of them, you have to choose one that you are going to use for the whole day and keep it in your purse. When you're finished with it for a class put it back in your purse. This way, you know where your pencils are going!

Keeping A Clean Locker

A clean locker is so important for staying organized not only for school supplies but for your daily beauty needs too. I'm in love with the two photo examples I found because they display a perfect mix of organization and style. You can find them on PBTeen.com.
As you can see from the photos, each have at least one locker shelf but you can have more than one if you need it. You can find these at your local office supply store. Here are some that I found on the Office Depot online store:

Link: Office Depot Locker Shelves

They also have magnetic dry erase boards, pouches for your beauty supplies and pencils and magnets to hold photos or a checklist if you don't have a phone or ipod. I think having these things are very good to have for keeping your locker in tip top shape. Having the pouches and shelves are guaranteed to keep your locker organized for the whole school year which makes things easier for switching out your books when its time to switch classes.

Those are my tips for staying organized for school! I hope you found it helpful and enjoyed it! Follow me on Pinterest and Twitter and give me feedback :)
Love,
Flair <3

An It Girls Guide To The First Day Back To School: Hair

Today's post is going to be on an effortless glamorous hairstyle inspired by Dianna Agron! It works well with medium to long length hair, it's fast and easy to do and goes along excellent with the makeup suggestion that I gave yesterday. Dianna dazzled the red carpet at the 2011 Golden Globes with this beautiful hairstyle and today, I'm going to tell you how to achieve it.

Things you'll need:

Anti Frizz Serum *optional

Heat Protectant

Blowdryer

Comb

Teasing comb or brush 

(a regular brush or comb can do the trick too)

One Inch Curling Iron

Bobby Pins

Hairspray

Pretty Hair Clip

Step 1: Start off with clean damp or wet hair. Apply your favorite anti frizz serum and heat protectant and begin to blowdry your hair with your head down for gorgeous volume.

Step 2:  Section off your hair in any way you prefer and curl 1-2 inch pieces using a one inch curling iron. When you curl your hair, start at the mid-shaft and work your way to the ends. To achieve the springiness of Dianna's curls, release the curl in your hand, let it sit there for a few seconds then drop it.

Step 3: After curling your hair, take a comb and create a deep side part (like the picture on the left). Take two sections on each side of your head starting above the ears, ending at the crown of your head (where the deep side part ends) and tease them a bit. Pull each section up and clip them up with bobby pins that best match your hair color. If you have bangs, I think what happened with Dianna's hair is the stylist who styled it combed her bangs into the parts and then hairsprayed them so that they stayed (See picture above).



Step 4: Apply a pretty hair clip to the right side of your hairstyle, hairspray your hair and you're ready to go!






Thanks for tuning into this blog post! I hope you enjoyed it and found it helpful. If there are any questions about it just tweet me! Stay tuned in tomorrow for tips on being organized for school!
Love,
Flair <3

An It Girls Guide To The First Day Back To School: Makeup

Your makeup for the first day back to school should be flawless and glamorous yet simple to do. I'm going to fill you in on one of the best makeup trends for the fall to help you choose the best way to wear your makeup on the first day.

Berry Lips

This lip color is perfect for every skin tone! With a bold lip, for school, the eye makeup should be toned down. Some of the best ways to wear this lip color are to pair it with spider lashes or winged liner. I wouldn't recommend any blush just because it's such a dramatic lip. 

A great example of an appropriate way of sporting this lip color for school is shown by the beautiful Lea Michele! 

All that was really done was the application of a liner, mascara, a bit of contouring to the cheekbones and her brows were filled in. I can see there's a neutral color below the lashes and sweeping up to the brow bone but you don't have to do that if you don't want to. With this look, you're sure to turn heads in the hallways!

Thanks for tuning into this blog post! Stay tuned in for hair suggestions tomorrow and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter! :)

Love,
Flair <3

An It Girls Guide to The First Day Back To School: Outfit

How you look on the first day of school determines your status for the rest of the school year. It determines how people treat you, how they view you and how you view yourself. Looking amazing on the first day can give you the confidence boost that you need to be productive especially since the first day can be a bit confusing with finding classes and things.

When choosing the perfect outfit for back to school ask yourself these questions:

1. Is this appropriate for school?

Aside from the usual fingertip length rule on skirts and shorts, you really need to ask yourself if your outfit is school appropriate. What I mean by this is: Are you over-dressed?
A lot of times when a person wants to look a certain way, they overdo it because they over-think it. In some magazine editorials, glamorous outfits are shown with a lot of accessories piled on to one outfit. Sometimes its a bunch of necklaces, or a lot of bracelets or sometimes both. For school, the editorial look isn't the best. Too many accessories or too much layering of the clothing just makes you look like you tried way too hard.
For school, you want an outfit that makes you feel light because carrying books around from class to class is enough extra weight for a person.
The outfit that Kourtney Kardashian is wearing (on the left) is an example of an outfit that wouldn't be too appropriate for school. There's too much accessorizing going on with the necklaces, the belts and the gloves. I wouldn't really recommend the big puffed sleeves either.
The outfit that Khloe Kardashian is wearing (on the right) is an example of a more appropriate outfit for school because (if you can see) she has on simple necklaces. Her outfit is light and would be more comfortable for school.

Not appropriate

More appropriate. P.S. This outfit works with every body type! 

2. If I were someone else and saw me in this outfit, what would I think?

Sometimes putting yourself in someone else's eyes help choose the right outfit. If you were someone else seeing you in the outfit you want to wear, what would you say or think?  Would you say "Oh my goodness, she looks so glamorous!" or "What the heck is she trying to do?"


3. Does my outfit make sense?

Example of the Girly Vibe

Example of the Edgy Vibe

Accessories pull an entire outfit together so when choosing the right accessories, make sure that they match the feel you're going for. Example:

If you're going for a more girly, Taylor Swift type feel, you wouldn't wear like a cuff with thick spikes. You would probably pair your outfit with something soft and innocent like maybe a gold chain bracelet or necklace with a sophisticated charm on it.  If you were going for an edgy Ashley Tisdale look, you wouldn't put on soft pink wedges, you would probably wear a heal with studs on the heel of them. Make sure that your outfit flows and that it's not all over the place. Fashion is about making statements with what you wear so make one statement at a time, not a whole story.

4. Does this outfit make me feel like the person I would like to be?

You say you want to be more confident so does this outfit make you feel better about yourself? If you're curvy, does it help you feel better about your curves or is your outfit helping you continue this feeling of shame or insecurity about them? If you're skinny, does this outfit wear you or are you wearing the outfit? If you're tall, do your shoes help you feel insecure or do they make you feel proud to be tall? Heck, if you're tall and love heels, don't be afraid to wear them!
No matter what your body looks like or what shape you have, it is important to be confident in what it looks like and wear clothing that best suits it.

5. Am I wearing this outfit for me or for other people?

A lot of times, us girls are always dressing extra-extra for someone we like or want to impress. An It Girl dresses to please herself. When you go out of your way to gain the liking of other people for whatever reason, you stoop down to wannabe level which is the total opposite of a FlairBerry It Girl. Make sure that what you choose to wear is an outfit that makes you feel good about yourself. Wear the outfit that makes you feel like you, not other people who serve absolutely no purpose in your life.


Those are my suggestions for choosing the perfect outfit for back to school! I hope they helped you :) Stay tuned in for more back to school posts later this week and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter :)

Love,
Flair <3

Maybelline Fit Me Review

The whole line of Maybelline's Fit Me products

So a while back my acne got very bad and I felt the need to go out and get some sort of "cover up" for the first time. I knew that I wanted a product that made my skin look natural and something that could give the the illusion of  me having "perfect" skin.
I came across the Maybelline Fit Me foundation in a magazine and decided to check out reviews on YouTube. Most of the videos I viewed were positive and on top of that, the foundation was less than $10 so I went for it! Luckily, they had my skin color in stock so I bought the concealer and the foundation.
My first impression of the product- I loved how lightweight it was. It didn't feel heavy and it went on very smooth! I still feel that way and I don't really have any major complaints about it.
The only downside I saw with this product is the fact that the foundation doesn't have a pump. I would prefer that it did have one because I feel like it could have lasted a lot longer than it has. I bought the foundation in February and now it's June and its like gone. Is that normal?

I tried doing what the instructions told me to in regards to me applying the foundation with my hands- it didnt work out. I ended up using my "Total Face" brush by E.L.F. to apply it and it helped me get the natural look that the advertisements promised.
Other than those things, I love this product! It gives me a flawless, natural look. My friends couldn't even tell that I had it on! This product gets an A from me! It totally met my expectations and I definitely recommend it to first time foundation and concealer buyers!



 To sum it up:
Pros: Lightweight, Smooth,Gives a flawless "perfect skin" look (with the right application method)
Cons: No pump
Overall Rate: A

I hope you found this review helpful. If you have any questions about it you can ask me in the comment section below or on Twitter! Thanks for tuning into this blog post and stay tuned in for more!

Love,
Flair <3

Split Leg Bottoms

Made by the clothing brand Tripp NYC, split leg bottoms are bottoms that have a solid color and a contrasting color or funky print on opposite legs or sides. They're perfect for those days where you want to step outside of your fashion comfort zone and try something new!

Lucy Hale as "Aria" in Pretty Little Liars 

The first time I saw a pair of split leg pants was on an episode of Pretty Little Liars where the character Aria wore a leopard and black pair! A while back I watched a video featured on the show's official website featuring the fashion stylist. She spoke about how she adds funky things to Aria's clothes to better fit her character, so when I saw the bottoms on Aria, I just thought they were leggings that she cut up and sewed together, but no! I found out through a fansite for the show that they were actually jeans designed to be that way! I was fascinated to say the least because I'd never seen anything like it! I began to really take interest in split leg bottoms when I saw the exact pair pictured below modeled in an issue of Seventeen magazine. After seeing them, I fell in love with the artistic nature of split leg bottoms! They aren't something that you would see an average person wearing and I adore that about them! Wearing them is a chance to stand out and be original!

Split leg jeans featured in Seventeen magazine

You can find them at stores like- Karma Loop, Hot Topic and Trash And Vaudevile. The price range is around $28- $80.

Here are the links for the split leg bottoms featured in this post(In order from left to right):
Red and Black Jeans- Link
Black and Leopard Shorts- Link
Black and White Skirt- Link
Aria's (exact)- Link
Featured in Seventeen (exact)- Link









Hope you enjoyed this post and I definitely recommend that you check out split leg bottoms; They are too cool! Thanks for tuning into this blog post, stay tuned in for more and don't forget to follow me on twitter! :)
Love,
Flair <3

Don't Pressure Yourself, Love Yourself

"Forever alone!"  "Love won't ever find me." "I'm not pretty enough to have a boyfriend."  "Valentines Day = Alone day"  "I'll never have a boyfriend" etc.

Those seem to be the main words single girls say, especially on Valentines day. But why? 

Couples- you see them everywhere. From your favorite celebrities to people you go to school with, your friends or just seeing random couples in your local area. Relationships are very glamorized and seem to give the people who are in them a sense of what love is. You want that. You want to feel loved, to feel special and wanted. You want someone to tell you that you're beautiful, you want the good morning text messages and you want the late night phone calls full of expressing your feelings toward one another. It's every girl's dream. 

A lot of us think that having a boyfriend is a big deal. In school, whether you're in elementary middle or high, having a boyfriend is sort of like an upgrade. For some, it's one of the main golden tickets to popularity.  Why? Because being in a relationship is considered "cool".

What a lot of teens don't understand is that there is more to a relationship than the whole you ask someone out, put on the Facebook status "in a relationship" and then break up like 2 weeks later. Love isn't a joke but people sure do have a good time turning it into one! Being in a relationship takes a lot of effort, understanding and most of all, legit feelings.
What I mean by "legit feelings" is that you shouldn't just date a person because they're considered "hawt", "popular",  "the quarterback of the football team" or to upgrade your status. You shouldn't date just to have sex either (If you want to do that, take the relationship status off of it and slap on "Friends with Benefits").

Sometimes people only date because they want to feel loved, wanted, accepted, etc. If you think being in a relationship is going to help you "find" love, make you feel wanted or make you feel accepted, you aren't in the right state of mind. On top of that, you won't really have any successful relationships because you're relying on the other person to make you feel a certain way.

"To love oneself is the beginning to a life long romance."

 -Oscar Wilde

In order to feel love for another person and to be loved by another person, it's important that you love yourself first. 

You have to love who you are (your personality, looks, fashion sense, etc) and know that you are perfect just the way you are.

People always say "nobody's perfect". Even Hannah Montana said it! I'm totally against that. Selena Gomez is right! Who says you're not perfect? Who says you're not worth it? Who says you're not pretty or beautiful? WHO SAYS?!  You can be all of that and THEN SOME! You need to believe that and don't let anyone stop you or tell you otherwise. The prettiest girls are not only the happiest but the most confident.
You don't need a guy to affirm to you that you're pretty or precious on a daily basis and you don't need a guy to define you!! Guys can "smell" insecurity. Jerks and abusers go for those kind of girls. Don't let yourself be a victim. Know who you are or who you want to be, OWN it and don't let anyone stop you.




Once you begin to see yourself in a different light, others will too! We are only a sum of our thoughts.
Example:
If you say to yourself every time you look in a mirror "I'm fat" or "I'm ugly" and believe that, then you're basically giving the world a green card to think and see the same. Who wants that?!
So how about this: Every time you look in the mirror, say something positive about yourself. Maybe there's a feature that you really like about yourself. Acknowledge that feature by stating "My eyes are really pretty" or "I'm having a really great hair day!" Completely and utterly ignore anything you don't like. Don't even look at it! As time goes on, eventually you'll see so many good things about yourself, you'll look in the mirror and be like "MMM! Who is that pretty girl in the mirror I see?!"  Your confidence will sky rocket and you'll be a happier person. Then guess what?! Other's will think the same. You'll notice yourself getting more compliments, you're head will be held a lot higher and you won't care about what people think of you anymore. You'll be so confident, you may even scare yourself a little bit haha!

"Like attracts like!"

Stop pressuring yourself!

With all of that being said about being confident and loving yourself for you, now I get on to my last topic, STOP PRESSURING YOURSELF!
Who cares if it's "cool" or "in" to have a boyfriend. So what?! That doesn't define you. When the time is right for the right person to come into your life for the moment, he will. I believe that anyone who is in your life, you've attracted them in some sort of way. So if your confidence is up, you look good, you're taking care of yourself, you're happy and feel good, the right person will come along and he'll be amazing! Whereas if you feel bad all the time and don't even care about how you look anymore, look down on yourself and see yourself as worthless, you won't attract such nice people. Remember, "Like attracts like!"

In conclusion, stop worrying about not having a valentine or boyfriend. On Valentines day, take the time to love yourself or even to spread love. Treat yourself to a nice spa day, hang with your girls, go donate to your local shelters, or do all 3! Valentines day for me, is about love. Who says love is defined by only being in a relationship? Who says? ;)







For more confidence tips, I advise that you check out BossBitchTips on tumblr: BossBitchTips.tumblr.com
The tips they give are amazing and make me feel so much better! Don't forget to follow me on blogger and on twitter: @FlairBerry 

Thanks so much for tuning in, tweet me blog requests and stay tuned in for more blog posts!
Love,
Flair Berry <3