I like big brows and I cannot lie.

I admit it...I judge people when it comes to their eyebrows. I don't care if you are a man or woman, I still do it. It drives me NUTS when my husband lets his brows grow into unibrow territory. It drives me even nuttier when women pluck pluck pluck until they have no brows at all or the brow shape resembles a tadpole.

Filled in, well groomed brows make your face look put together even if you aren't wearing any other makeup. Taking a few extra minutes a day to work on them makes you look awake and alert. 

I used to think filling in my eyebrows was a science I would never learn.  After much trial and error I have found four products that work for me. 

My brows are pretty sparse at the innermost corners so I concentrate most of my brow product there. I also wear glasses with large Ray Ban frames every day, so my brows look better when they are filled in pretty heavily. I like to use products that can be applied quickly and still look great even when applied a bit messy.

I start and end my brow routine the same every time. I first brush through my brows with my Sonia Kashuk spoolie. I then apply the brow product I decide to reach for that day. Then I run the spoolie through my brows one more time.

My favorite brow products from least expensive to most expensive:

NYC Brow/Eye Liner Pencil in Taupe (.99): This pencil is perfect for busy mornings or when I want a very natural brow look. I simply use short strokes to fill in any sparse areas and am done. The pencil is soft enough to glide on my brows but stiff enough that it doesn't smudge. The color is very neutral when I swatch it on my hand and when applied over my brow hair but leaves a red tint on my skin were the hairs are sparse.

ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit in Medium ($3.00): I only use the dark gel part of this gel/powder duo because it's pigmented enough to hide any sparse areas and the consistency mimics a brush-on brow gel. The color is completely neutral which I really like. However, the brow powder in the duo leans a bit red on my skin just like the taupe pencil.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Brow in #15 Blonde ($20): This product is a waterproof gel that refuses to budge until you remove it with a makeup remover or cleanser. I dispense a very small dot on the back of my hand and use a stiff angled liner brush to apply to my brows. The shade is very neutral on my brows and is a bit darker than the WnW pencil and ELF kit. I love using this because it gives the end of my brows a very natural look--not like they are drawn on. I can't see myself running out of this anytime soon either.

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette ($36): This palette is perfect for traveling because not only do you have nine eyeshadows to choose from but there are also two cool matte shadows that can double as brow powders. I like to mix Velvet Revolver and Sexpresso together before applying the powders with a stiff angled liner brush. These colors combined are darker than any of the other brow products I use. Even though they are darker they still look pretty natural after running the spoolie through them.

For today's daily laugh--

What are your favorite brow products?

May 2013 Empties/Throwaways/Annoyances

May 2013 Favorites

May Favorites

MUFE Mat Velvet +: Now that I finally have a bit more color to my face I was able to start using my Mat Velvet + foundation. This is probably my favorite foundation ever. It covers like a dream, leaves my face looking matte but not dry, and stays all day. Plus, if I do want to retouch it I can add some more at the end of the day and it never looks cakey. I'm not too keen on the higher price tag, but I really do think it's worth it if you have combination or oily skin. 

Covergirl Outlast Foundation: I feel like this a drugstore sorta dupe for the Mat Velvet +. It provides buildable coverage, leaves your face with a matte finish, and stays on almost all day long. However, if you have any dry spots on the face you will probably want to skip this. Whenever I have acne healing I almost always get dry patches. They look horrible when I used this foundation over them. I also find this foundation applies better when I skip a primer and heavy moisturizer. If I use either of them then I feel like the foundation never really sets unless I powder afterwards. Overall, even with its flaws, this is a great drugstore foundation.

Hearts and Darts 5.31.13

Hearts

• Watermelon chunks- Watermelon season is upon us and I love it! I've been grabbing a large container of watermelon chunks every time I go to the grocery store to snack on at work.
• Karaoke- I love to sing! During Memorial Day weekend, my best friend and I sang so much karaoke that I didn't have a voice for two days. We might have sounded awful, but who cares?

Us singing "No Scrubs"

• Sunscreen- I have gone on a HUGE sunscreen kick lately which is awesome in the long run. I tan very easily but have decided to take my skin in consideration, especially since numerous family members have had skin cancer removed, and start slathering on sunscreen and making it a point to fake tan regularly. I was lucky enough to score one of Sephora's Sun Kits this season, so I have lots of sunscreens to choose from now.

Darts

• Crazies- I normally have 0% crazies in my life. However, this week I experienced one who called me a "drunk" and "immature" and pretty much told me I was poor and would never amount to anything in life. Yeah. Ok. I work full-time, am going to school full-time to earn my graduate degree, and pay all my bills. But, yeah, you are totally right....CRAZY.
• Airing your dirty laundry on social media-I would love to rant and rave and give details about something that happens to me....example--look above....but no one needs to hear about everything unless they are the other party involved or a close friend.  Blasting info about a divorce, who cheated on you, how trashed you got last night, etc. is just plain trashy.
• No time to read- Summer classes are in full swing and now I have no time to read outside of school. Dan Brown's new book, Inferno, has been sitting on my coffee table for days looking lonely. 

What were your hearts and darts this week?

MAC Viva Glam Cyndi Dupe

I am kicking myself over and over again for not buying at least one backup of MAC's Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick. The coral red shade is a lustre finish which normally applies a bit sheer, but this shade packs lot of shine and color on the lips. I love it for day or night 

but tend to only use it sparingly because I love it so much.

One day I decided to search possible dupes and stumbled upon a couple of posts that said Wet n Wild's  Natural Blend Lip Shimmer in Spice #106 is a close contender. After searching my local CVS, Walgreens, and Wal Mart, I finally found it at the latter.

Here are closeups of the two products. Viva Glam Cyndi is discontinued but sold for either $14.50 or $15.00 (however much MAC lipsticks were running or run these days) and the Wet n Wild was around $1.99-$3.00 (I can't remember the exact price).

Reasons to smile.

One of my best friends surprised me with a sushi lunch and gifts the other weekend for a belated birthday present! Lauren of According To She Designs is the kind of creative I wish I was. She is an amazing jewelry maker (she made the necklace I wore in my wedding), can sew anything, and has an eye for things that can be turned from trash to beauty. Here are the things she surprised me with at lunch. 
Thanks so much, LC. I love you!

She made this cute little pouch herself!

Revlon Lipgloss in Firecracker, Essie's Shine of the Times, Essise Pilates Hotties

She also sent me home with an Ulta gift card! Please go check out her website and all the beautiful, creative jewelry and other items she has on her Etsy store.

CVS Spring Beauty Clearance Sale Haul

Thanks to the lovely G at Noveau Cheap I found out that CVS is currently marking down certain items for their spring beauty sale!   A lot of products are 50-75% off. You can find a master list on her blog here. 

Also, a big thanks to Lauren at According to She Designs for also sending me a picture of some items she grabbed at her local CVS.

Here's what I picked up with the estimated prices. I threw away my receipt on accident.

• Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in Nutmeg: This was the only shade I saw that was clearanced at 75% off. It was around $2.50. Obviously the shade is way too dark for me, but I figured I could use it to darken any of my winter foundations.
• Covergirl + Olay Simply Ageless Eye Corrector and Eye Concealer: These products are always overpriced at CVS. They were a little over $6 each after the 50% off.
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Va Va Violet: I love Revlon's lipsticks! This crazy color was a bit over $2. It turns a very dark purple if you apply more than 3 layers but with a light hand it's a pretty purple shade.
• Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart: This was around $1.99. After swatching and applying, I found that this color isn't as pigmented as some of the other lip butters and I love that. It gives a light red gloss to the lips.

L-R Cherry Tart and Va Va Violet

Cherry Tart and Va Va Violet swatched

Have you picked up anything from the CVS sale yet? If so, please share in the comments!