Wednesday, April 1, 2009
It's Beginning to Feel Like Summer
Here in Los Angeles, many of us are taking our fans out of storage in preparation for another California summer. My own little apartment is slowly turning into a sauna and I’ve been using my SPF 50 sunscreen on a regular basis. Although many of us wear sunscreen on our faces, we often forget about protecting our lips. As a matter of fact, I have noticed that my pigmented lips become a deep pink by the end of the warmer months.
Exposure to UVA and UVB rays is dangerous but having to cover natural lip pigmentation prior to using trendy lipstick shades is just plain annoying. The solution for your health and vanity comes from an old favorite: Softlips. With an SPF 20, smooth texture, and a multitude of great flavors (my favorite is Strawberry), you can’t go wrong! I wear Softlips underneath lipstick to combat my notoriously dry lips and create a good base for my lipstick. Since Softlips is neither oily nor pigmented, there is no need to blot. And although your lips will feel moisturized, you won’t mind reapplying after meals to ensure that your lips are protected from sunburn.
Do you remember keeping a tube of Softlips in your backpack throughout middle and high school? I find myself doing the same as an adult; it makes me nostalgic for summer vacations from school and running through the sprinklers with friends.
Tell me about your favorite summer essentials!
Image Credit: Softlips.com
Monday, March 30, 2009
In Case of Emergency, Bring on the Rogaine
If you’ve exhausted all your other options and still find gaps or “holes” in your eyebrows, Rogaine may be your solution. Please note that the active ingredients in this product, along with potential danger in application (i.e. blindness if you aren’t careful), make Rogaine less than an ideal choice if your goal is rapid results. I trust you to do your own research and weight the benefits and risks prior to purchase. Nevertheless, the results are pretty much a guarantee. I’ve used Rogaine to encourage growth in an area of my eyebrow that never grew brow hair as a result of many years of tweezing and was able to grow a fuller brow in approximately two weeks. If you bleach or dye your eyebrows at home, the application should be easy. Otherwise, here are a few helpful tips:
1. Apply to a clean eyebrow at night as the Rogaine will interfere with any brow products you may choose to use during the day.
2. Pour a small amount of Rogaine into the cap and lightly saturate a cotton swab, spoolie, or a lip brush. I recommend using a disposable applicator or designating one that you will only use for Rogaine application. Be sure to avoid over-saturating so as to reduce the risk of the liquid dripping into your eye.
3. Apply to the desired area a little bit at a time and tilt your head back slightly. You may also want to close the eye below the chosen eyebrow as a precaution.
4. Be sure to apply only where you’d like to grow hair because you will grow hair in any area that the product touches. I accidentally dripped some Rogaine down the side of my cheek and got some “baby hairs” even though I washed and scrubbed after the accident took place.
5. Please don’t use this on your eyelashes!
Image Credit: drugstore.com
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Brow Epic Continues
This post is for those among us who, like myself, have plucked and failed. Despite of your best efforts, your brows remain an unmitigated disaster (at least for the next two months). Meanwhile, here are some of my favorite products to disguise your poor spermies as you wait for them to grow back to normal.
1. Physician’s Formula Brow Definer in Black-Brown:
My primary issue with most brow pencils and waxes is their tendency to oxidize into a very warm orange color. Although I have a warmer skin tone, my eyebrows are a neutral black brown. The other problem tends to be in the color choices: either the product is too light or so dark that it turns me into Bert with only a couple of swipes. The Physician’s Formula Brow Definer is my current favorite. A thin, waxy led allows me to apply in small hair-like strokes and the pigmentation is sheer enough to look natural with even a dark color such as Black-Brown. And the best part is that the wax stays put and grooms your brows as you shade. The convenient brush on the cap is helpful in distributing the product for a natural, blended look.
2. MAC 208 Brush:
I use my 208 with brow powders or pencils for a more precise application or to feather and blend an otherwise harsh brow. This brush is quite stiff and can easily serve double-duty as an eyeliner brush for gel, cream, and liquid liner.
3. Wet n’ Wild Ultimate Brow Kit:
This is another great budget buy. The kit comes with a small angled brush, tweezers, two shades of brow powder, and a brow wax. I purchased “Ash Brown” to avoid the aforementioned oxidization and brassyness. The lighter shade was a lot darker than I anticipated, matching my dark eyebrows perfectly.
4. Covergirl Great Lash Clear Mascara:
Although I have never understood the appeal of Great Lash Mascara, the small wand and reasonable price tag make it the perfect brow gel. Sometimes a little clear gel is all it takes to make an average eyebrow look amazing. Just use the gel to brush the inner 1/3 of your eyebrow (the part closest to your nose) up and groom the rest of the eyebrow into the direction the hair naturally grows. Even though the product is clear, your brows will look slightly darker.
5. Wet n’ Wild Kohl Brow-Eyeliner in Mink Brown #649:
Wet n’ Wild scores another point with this soft, inexpensive pencil. I tried the same pencil in Taupe and while it would be great for blondes and those with lighter brows, it just didn’t work for me. However, I do have to use a brush to apply this color or else risk the Groucho Marx effect. Mink Brown is the perfect color for someone with very dark brown or black eyebrows who is looking for a smooth application.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A Belated Triple Awards Post
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude and/or gratitude.
3. Be sure to link your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.
I nominate, in no particular order...drum roll please...
1. The Lip Print
2. Blogdorf Goodman
3. Lipsticks & Lightsabers
4. All Lacquered Up
5. Padmita's Makeup Blog
6. Nessasary Makeup
7. Fashion Under $100
8. Scrangie
9. Babyassface
10. Fabuless Beauty
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
These Are a Few Of My Favorite...Tools
- Clean Spoolie, Clean Mascara Wand or Lash Comb: You will need this to brush your eyebrow hairs up to see if any of the hairs are too long. I recommend trimming your brow hair prior to tweezing so to avoid accidental bald spots. This way, you can groom your eyebrows conservatively and with minimal collateral damage. I prefer to brush my brows in the direction I’d like them to go (rather than up) and only trimming the hairs that disrupt the shape. Trim in small sections (rather than one fell swoop) to avoid cutting the hairs too short and creating too severe a shape.
- Small, Sharp Cuticle Scissors: You didn’t think you could trim with the spoolie alone, did you? You will need a pair of scissors that is small enough to single out each hair. I have tried scissors (with an attached comb) designed especially for eyebrow grooming but the comb made it difficult to see which hairs were being trimmed and the resultant gaps in my eyebrows were not pretty.
- Mini Razors: I know you see them at your local drugstore and think they look scary. Fear not, my dears. You will not shave off your epidermis or your eyebrows (unless you’re too aggressive) but you will achieve that clean, waxed look without having to neither pluck maliciously nor pay through the nose. I don’t have a preference as to brand but the smaller, the better. Razors will allow you to get all of those tiny hairs that you don’t see around your eyebrows in one go.
- Tweezerman Slant Tip Tweezers: All the hype about these babies is spot-on. I really don’t know how I groomed my brows without them. They can be pricey but they stay sharp for an insane amount of time (mine haven’t been sharpened in at least three years) and the best part? Tweezerman offers to sharpen them for free. The slanted tip allows you to get at the tiny hairs without ripping out the majority of your eyebrow in the process. Since you likely have only a few stray hairs, the tweezing step should be last to avoid going overboard.
Please don’t groom your eyebrows after a trip to the bar, a breakup, or a very long, exhausting day. The results will be on your face for the next few weeks so it helps to be of sober mind and body.