Basic Brows

In case you aren’t following the beauty world, I’m here to tell you brows are in.

For years, the thinner the better was the goal with brows. Not anymore. Big and defined is what you’re going for (if you’ve jumped on the bandwagon too).

About two years ago I started to fill in my brows. I started with a very light brown color and dusted it slightly along my brows creating a slight definition. The color I used was perfect for beginners – not too dark, not too light. It was the Goldilocks for brow color. It worked with both my brown and blonde hair colors.

I wish I could tell you the name of this magical powder, but it was given to me as gift and I didn’t realize how fabulous it was until the name wore off. And then I dropped it. And shattered the beautiful perfection to pieces.

Whomp whomp.

Have no fear, I have found another fabulous brow powder for you to try.

But before we get into what products I use to make my brows be beautifully on trend these days, let’s do some photos, shall we?

Makeup with out brows done.

Makeup with brows done.

It’s not a HUGE difference, but noticeable enough for me. I find that doing my brows frames my face.

To do my brows, I use MAC 266 Small Angled Brush and MAC Coquette (eye shadow).

Side note: I’ve had my MAC 266 for 11 years now – I bought it when I was 19, and it was $19 at the time. (The price now is $20). I remember my friends telling me that $19 was a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a makeup brush. Well, I’ve taken really good care of it, and it still works really well today!

I lightly brush my MAC 266 in the MAC Coquette and start applying in small strokes from the center of my face outward. It’s important to apply it in small strokes as opposed to one line – small strokes mimic hairs.

If I’m working a long day, I set my brows with Benefit’s Gimme Brow in Light/Medium. It’s a really great product for setting the shape, it doesn’t add a ton of color.

There are MANY products for brows on the market – I haven’t tried most of them. I by no means am an expert in brows – but an advocate!

Helpful Links on Brows:

Mascara Brow School

Claire’s Brows

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Do you do your brows? What are your favorite brow products? 

 

 

May Favorites!

Hi! I am so excited to share with you my FIRST favorites video!

Enjoy!

Review: Kardashian Beauty Take 2 Dry Shampoo

I have oily hair. Oily, fine, limp and lifeless. Most of my life, I’ve washed my hair everyday. Or, everyday that I had to go somewhere/look somewhat presentable…

Years ago, I discovered the benefits of using baby powder. On days I wasn’t going to do my hair or I was too rushed to wash it, I would sprinkle baby powder in my hands and rub it together and work it through my hair. It did a good job, a great job in comparison to any of the dry shampoos I found on the market.

Then, I watched Kayley Melissa’s review  of Kardashian Beauty Take 2 Dry Shampoo and I was intrigued. I, like Kayley am not a Kardashian fan. This product, however, is life changing.

 

This product is the best dry shampoo I have ever used. I would go as far to say I almost cannot tell if my hair hasn’t been washed. It is that good.

For this dry shampoo, I shake it many, many times. I actually count it fifteen times. By doing so, there is a tiny whitecast that blends out quickly.

I highly recommend it to everyone!

Kardashian Beauty Take 2 Dry Shampoo is available at Ulta for $13.99

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Have you tried Kardashian Beauty Take 2 Dry Shampoo? What are your thoughts? Have you tried anything else from the line?

New Jo Malone Colognes – REVIEW

A few weeks ago, I was in the market for a new perfume. I just finished a bottle of Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb and I wanted a change. I had been familiar with Jo Malone Colognes, but I didn’t feel tempted to spend quite that much money on perfume.

I started browsing the Jo Malone counter and before I knew it, I had fallen in love with a scent. Of course, it’s limited edition, which makes it even more delicious. I decided on Plum Blossom Cologne, one of three limited edition Colognes. Then, the very convincing sales lady layered Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne on top of Plum Blossom and I really fell in love. By itself, Wood Sage & Sea Salt isn’t my favorite, but I love it paired with Plum Blossom.

When I was convinced to spend almost $300 on perfume, I was told that my Plum Blossom wouldn’t be available for a few weeks. However, I was also given a gift with purchase. This soften the blow when I realized I got the gift.

The lovely little samples are of a small cologne of English Pear & Freesia, a lotion of Peony & Blush Suede (love) and a body gel of Grapfruit.

All in all, I love my purchases.

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What do you think of Jo Malone? Over hyped and over priced? Or absolutely fantastic?

Product Empties – May 2015

I am so excited to have my FIRST YouTube Video! Please let me know your thoughts. 🙂 (Besides the terrible thumbnail…)

 

 

Simple Cleansing Micellar Water Review

For the past year or so, I watched enviously as European Bloggers used Bioderma, a cleansing water. As you know my love for cleansing oils, I wanted to try Bioderma badly. Cleansing waters, aka Micellar Waters or Micelle Solutions are makeup removers with a water-like consistency.

I received a sample from a Sephora purchase of Dermaclear Micro Water and fell in love.

As previously stated, cleansing waters remove makeup effectively with no residue. They are divine. As much as I loved Dermaclear, I wanted to find a more affordable drugstore option.

I found Simple’s Cleansing Micellar Water at the drugstore and was a bit disappointed. Although it was just as effective at removing makeup as Dermaclear’s version, it did leave a slight residue and wasn’t as moisturizing on the skin.

The price, however, is great. From anywhere from $6ish-$8ish, you get 6.7 oz of Micellar Water from Simple, for just over an ounce more you pay $32 for Dermaclear’s water. It’s quite a price difference and the differences between the two aren’t significant.

Pros of cleansing waters:

-Excellent at removing leftover waterproof makeup that your cleanser didn’t remove.

-Fabulous at cleaning up makeup mistakes. Removes the mistake without taking off other makeup.

Cons of cleansing waters:

-Personally, I don’t care for cleansing waters to actually cleanse my skin. I just use them to remove difficult makeup.

-In order for the water to be effective, I saturate one cotton pad per eye. A little does not go a long way.

 

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Have you tried any cleansing waters? What do you think? What is your favorite brand?

 

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

I’m a big fan of Benefit’s They’re Real! Mascara. It lengthens, volumizes, and separates lashes beautifully. It’s $24 and can be quite tricky to get off. I wanted to find a similar mascara for a drugstore price.

I think I’ve found it – Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara. For only $8.99, it’s quite a bargain.

Pros:

Similar formula, does not clump, easy to apply, and it separates lashes. Unlike Benefit’s They’re Real! it is much easier to remove.

Cons:

The brush is plastic (like They’re Real!) but it is a crest shape may take time to get used to. Unlike Benefit’s They’re Real! there is no part of the brush that is designed for your inner eyelashes or bottom lashes.

Overall: I definitely recommend this mascara. Although not a perfect dupe for Benefit’s They’re Real! It’s pretty close. 

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Have you tried this mascara? What are your favorite Drugstore Dupes? 

 

L’Oreal Infallible Pro Matte Foundation Review

I have to say I was pretty excited when I first learned about the new L’Oreal Infallible Pro Matte Foundation. I found glowing reviews online, and L’Oreal described exactly what I wanted: dewy, long lasting foundation.

L’Oreal says it is a 24 hour, lasting, Demi-Matte Finish that is never dull and never flat. It boasted to be air light and medium coverage.

My verdict? I don’t like this foundation. I wouldn’t repurchase it and I have considering returning it. Womp womp.

Things I don’t like:

This foundation is not for dry skin. I found this to be dull and flat. I have dry skin with oily patches (which is a change I’ve recently experienced. Previously, I had oily/combo). The foundation doesn’t smooth well on my dry cheeks – instead, it highlighted the baby hairs I have and made my dry skin feel even drier.

Dryness around my eyes and mouth.

The foundation coverage is too light. It is a light foundation that you can build to medium.

Coverage light around my nose.

A little does not go a long way. I built this foundation to get a medium coverage and I ended up using quite a bit, about double of what I normal use with other foundations.

This foundation doesn’t last. I have sun spots on my forehead and by the end of the day (10 hours or so after application) you can see them clearly. Other reviewers paired this foundation with the Infallible Pro-Matte Powder and said it lasted all day.

This foundation is the wrong color. Now, this is clearly my fault for buying the wrong color, but usually I am the lightest color in every foundation range I’ve used but this is color is a bit too light. It is easy to blend with a bronzer to darken. (I have Classic Ivory 101).

Using highlighters, I worked the product to look more dewy than it was before.

However. As my skin is not everyone’s skin type, this foundation will work for many. Do you have oily or combination skin? You will love this. This will mattify the oil on your skin and turn it into a wonderful glow. Do you hate the feeling of foundation on your skin? This is perfect for you. Do you have little to cover up and need a base to color correct some areas? Yep, buy this.

Overall, this isn’t for me. But, it may be for you!

What are your thoughts?

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Other reviews:

Tati’s Review

Sam’s Review

Tried and Tested: MAC Cleanse Off Oil

Confession: Until recently, I rarely washed my face before bed.

Okay, I never washed my face before bed.

Ever since I started wearing make up, I usually took the time to remove my eye makeup but nothing else. I had heard that removing makeup before bed was important for your skin’s health and to prevent aging. I tried to wash my face. I hated it. I hated the time it took, how I seemed to get water everywhere. I hated splashing water on my face.

I saved face washing for in the showers only. Which meant my face only got washed once a day.

Overall, I have good skin. Despite struggling as a teen with acne, I rarely break out now. As an adult, I always had clogged pores and blackheads, most of which was only noticeable to me. Skincare wasn’t a huge concern for me so I had little motivation to deep clean my face.

Fast forward to today. Every night, before going to bed, I use MAC Cleanse Off Oil to remove all of my makeup. This includes the use of water. Being splashed on my face. And I LOVE it.

What changed?

As a huge fan of many beauty bloggers/vloggers, I noticed a trend of cleansing oils and balms. Particularly Fleur De Force’s post about Cleansing Balms. I read this post about a year ago and I was intrigued. I wasn’t, however, going to pay $40 + dollars on something to wash my face.

I was willing to pay $9 and give the Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Balm a whirl.  I bought the tin container and started using it. I really liked it. I liked that the first step was to massage the oil into your skin, and then remove it with water. I’m not sure why, using water at the end of the cleansing was much more appealing than using it twice.

The downside to the Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Balm was that I went through my tin very quickly. In fact, it lasted just over a month. I decided going to the mall every month and spending $9 wasn’t for me. I wanted something more accessible, something that lasted longer than a month.

In addition, I decided to look for a Cleansing Oil instead of a Balm. I didn’t like dipping my hand in the same tin everyday. It just screamed bacteria growth to me.

Quite soon after, I discovered Garnier Clean + Nourshing Cleansing Oil from Samantha Schuerman’s Review. Although it was a sponsored post, I do agree with most of Sam’s reviews and decided to give it a try. The Cleansing Oil was great except for one thing: the scent. I hated it. I hated it so much that I decided to return it.

Back to the drawing board.

I wanted to find a product that was effective, long-lasting and not too pricey. I had become addicted to the nightly massage and was serious about finding a product that worked for me. I started going through my favorite bloggers once again and found Tati’s video on her nighttime routine. In her video, she used MAC Cleanse Off Oil. Coming in at $31, the MAC Cleanse Off Oil was a bit more money then I wanted to spend. I was nervous I would have the same situation I did with the Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Balm and I was afraid I would go through a bottle a month. Not quite ready to give up $31, I opted for the travel size, which is $10. (Still quite a bit of money, but less of a risk).

To my surprise, I loved that little bottle. I loved the scent, the slight citrus smell. I loved the feeling on my skin, and how it effectively removed all of my makeup. And, I loved that the little 1oz bottle lasted almost a month. In September 2014, I bought the regular 5oz bottle and I am happy to say it has lasted until this week. I am just about out of my first bottle and repurchased another bottle today. (I use two pumps a day, and I’ve used it every day).

And my skin? The best it’s ever been. While I’m starting to deal with sun spots and other side effects of being almost 30, my pores are not longer clogged and I rarely break out. Win Win.

What Cleansing Oils/ Balms do you enjoy?

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A few notes:

• I sometimes use an additional eye makeup remover if I have quite a bit of mascara or eyeliner on.
• How I use it:
  • First pump: massage all over my face, except for eyes. Gently rub eyebrows last.
  • Second pump: massage gently into my eyes.
  • Wet hands, massage face again, concentrating on the eyes. I will do this step multiple times. (Note: the oil will turn into a milky substance with water).
  • Final step: Gently splash water on my face until the milky substance is gone.

Enjoy! 

The Best Bronzer (for me)

More often than not, I’ve been hesitant when I’ve seen beauty blogger and vloggers talk about Bronzers. I’ve found Bronzers to be orange and very fake looking. With my fair skin, none quite worked and I often would look weird with them on.

I started following Essie Button on YouTube and she raved about Body Shop’s Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder. Since Essie has fair skin like me, I thought I would try it!

I have to say, I love this bronzer. It is the perfect warmth, without being orange at all. I use the shade 01 Light Matte which was perfect for winter, but as the Summer is approaching I’m may go up a shade. Either way, it is the perfect bronzer for all skin types.

What is your favorite bronzer?