Clean it Up: Maybelline Brow Precise Perfecting Highlighter Review

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A few years ago, back when I still wrote for Babble (I stopped because with baby #2 the deadlines were just too stressful), I wrote an article about the small makeup steps that can make a big difference in your look. These are the steps that we skip because they aren't a big deal, or we didn't even know that was a thing. Step #2 was concealing above and below your brows. Yes, that's a thing. And it really does make a big difference!

For years, I've been using Too Faced's Instant Attitude Brow Lift (at HSN or Amazon) for this crucial, 30 second makeup step. I draw a line under and over each of my brows, then quickly blend with a fingertip. It makes my brows look much better. They don't look highlighted, but somehow it makes them stand out a bit more, look more professional and cleaned up.


left to right: light, medium, dark

Unfortunately, the Too Faced pencil I use is hard to find now (I actually think it's been discontinued and places are just selling out their stock). So, when this similar product showed up at my doorstep, I was excited to try it out! It's basically a neutral concealer in a stick form. It is very similar to the Too Faced, though it goes on looking more pigmented at first, it blends a bit more with my finger, so the look afterwards is basically identical.

This is going to be a new staple product for me! Do you highlight your brow? What are you using?


You can buy Maybelline Brow Precise Perfecting Highlighter at ULTA, or Amazon.

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Every Day Brow Clean Up: How I Shape Up

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I'm not a thin brow girl. My eye brows have always been on the full side, and as a teenager I was definitely intimidated by them. Instead of plucking them into submission, I left them mostly alone. I occasionally plucked stray hairs, avoiding a monobrow. So, I managed to escape my teen years with brows that are still fuller than normal. This works in my favor since full brows are in, yet again. This happens every few years, and I love when magazines declare my full eye brows desirable.

However, having full eye brows isn't exactly easy. There's a lot of maintenance involved. I outsource most of it to my esthetician, I visit Amanda every 4-5 weeks for shaping. In between visits, I keep things looking groomed on my own. Which means I have a brow shape up routine that I follow every day. Skipping a day can mean unruly brows and a lot of extra time is needed to shape things up the next day.

To clean up my brows, I use a regular number 2 pencil as a straight edge, slant tip tweezers like Sally Hansen's Raise Some Brows, a pair of sharp scissors (Sally Hansen's Do Your 'do) and a combo brow brush/razor, Get In Shape.



The first step is verifying where my brows should be. I really do this every day. I swear that a few hairs can pop up over night and throw off everything!

1. First, I run the pencil from the very edge of my nose, to the corner of my eye. The end of my brow should reach the pencil.

2. Now I move the pencil in to the side of the tip of my nose, where the nostril starts to take off if that makes sense. I align the pencil to go through the center of my eye. Where the pencil hits my brow is where my arch should be. I try not to move it around when cleaning up stray hairs under my brow.

3. Finally, from that same point on my nose, I move the pencil to be pointing directly up and down. This show where my brows should be starting, and I admit this is the spot I have the most trouble. Hairs like to suddenly show up in this area overnight, but I want my brows to stay balanced and not overplucked.


Once I know where I'm going, I break out the tweezers. I pluck only one hair at a time, and I go for the hairs that are out of place. Every few hairs I make sure I lean back and make sure I haven't done too much plucking. I don't do any shaping, I only pull out hairs that are out of place. As well, I only pluck hairs that are under or between my brows, very rarely do I pluck any hairs that are above my brows. When I do, they're dark hairs that are pretty far from the brow itself, I leave any shaping on the top of my brow to my esthetician.


Next, it is time to make sure my brows haven't gotten too long. I brush my brows straight up, any hairs that are more than 3 or 4 mm above my brow get trimmed. I usually trim 1 hair at a time, I don't want to have a big clump all the exact same length. Varying where the brow hairs gets trimmed looks more natural.


Finally, the last step is one that makes it all look much more professional! I turn around the Get In Shape and using the razor side, I can quickly shave away any peach fuzz in between my brows. Sometimes I'll use it over my brows as well. Cleaning up the peach fuzz makes a big difference!


Completing this whole process only takes a minute or two when I clean up my brows every day. Once I've finished cleaning up my brows, I can fill them in and finish my makeup.

Want to check out all these tools? They are all available at Target!

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This post is part of a collaboration with Sally Hansen and Style Coalition. All opinions, and brow grooming obsessions, are my own!

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e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit Review

I Bought It


This eye brow duo from ELF is one of those products that is featured on many favorites lists (including my own best of ELF list). There's a reason for that.

Benefit, Anastasia, you name it, this brow product is right up there with them. For a whopping $3.

I have the product in Medium, and what you see above is a tinted gel/wax on the left. On the right is a setting powder, and I admit that I never touch that part. Instead, I just grab the little included brush and fill in my brows with the gel, I use the stiff, angled brush to do this. It looks very natural and lasts all day!

e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit

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Too Faced Instant Attitude Brow Lift Review

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One of my favorite beauty tricks is a little concealer or highlighter right under my brow (and frequently, right over). Why? It seems to clean everything up, and while you won't notice if this step is skipped, it really does seem to make a difference!

Too Faced's Instant Attitude Brow Lift is what I've been using lately for this step in my routine. It's a soft matte vanilla tone, which works better on my pale winter skin than the lightest concealer I could find. It's super easy to use, I just draw it on immediately below and above my brow, then blend it quickly with a fingertip.

I'm about.... 10 days overdo for a brow appointment (have no fear, it is scheduled for Friday), so you can be sure this is the one step I'm sure to include every day!

Too Faced
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Too Faced Bulletproof Brows Review

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I'm usually a brow pencil girl, but I'm more than willing to branch out for a good product! I want defined brows that are still natural, last all day and applies quickly and easily. No fuss! If there's fuss I know I'll be reaching for another product.

So, it speaks volumes that for the last few weeks I've been reaching for this product every. single. day. Seriously.

Inside that little round pot is a really great product. It's like a gel, but has a matte finish and also holds your brows in place like a wax. It applies really easily, use the angled side of the brush to stipple product into the areas that need it, and then run the spoolie brush end over the brow to blend.

I do think it takes a little getting used to applying, it is easy to over do it and end up with brows that are anything but natural looking. I think if you start with a light application and slowly work your way up with more product you'll be fine!


It comes in 2 shades, I've been using the Universal Brunette, which is just right for my hair color. Any darker would be too harsh. Like other good brow shades, it is a tad ashy.

I'm pretty sure I've found a new favorite brow product. What are you using on your brows right now?

Too Faced Bulletproof Brows
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Regrowing Your Eye Brows: Boom Boom Brow Job to the Rescue

Product Sent for Review


Recently I shared how I do my eyebrows, and I mentioned that while in the past I've used Revitalash when things are looking a little... thin, I'd recently swapped to Boom Boom Brow Job. I had literally started using it 2 nights before when they sent it to me.

I liked that Brow Job seems to have many of the same ingredients as the Revitalash, or at least close enough that I was encouraged. Brow Job is easier for the brow area. Instead of a liquid with a small brush (great for the lash line, not so much the brow), the Brow Job is a bit gel-like and comes with a felt tip applicator.

Unfortunately I didn't get a great picture of my "before" brows, but keep in mind that I do have pretty full brows overall. I do sometimes get a "hole" in the brow if the wrong hair decides that its time to fall out. I end up looking a bit thin in areas, with now choice but to fill in those spots. So, I've now been using Boom Boom's Brow Job for about a month, and I'm really impressed so far.

According to Boom Boom:

See results in 4-6 weeks, full results in 4 months, then use 3-4 times per week for maintenance.

I've definitely noticed that those thin areas filled in much more quickly than I expected them to be back in order. All of the hair in that area grew much faster (sometimes this wasn't necessarily a good thing for me!) and after a few weeks of use I definitely had a lot more hairs in those areas than I had started with. I've already moved myself into the "maintenance" mode of use, cutting back to a few times a week, only to those areas that have been a bit of an issue in the past.

I obviously don't have overplucked eye brows, so I'm curious to hear what people who have gone a bit overboard with the tweezers think of this product. Have you tried it? has anything worked for you?


Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Pca, Sorbitol, Proline, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Yeast Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Arcyostaphylos Uva Ursi (Bearberry) Leaf Extract, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethanolamine Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Prostaglandin I.C.

Active Ingredients:
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminglycans, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Yeast Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Arcyostaphylos UVA Ursi (Bearberry) Leaf Extract, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopherylacetate, Prostaglandin I.C.

Note: Boom Boom syas not to use this product if you're pregnant or nursing. I don't see any ingredients that would interfere with nursing, but the Prostaglandin isn't a good idea while pregnant.

$49.00 for 3-Month Supply
Boom Boom Brow Job
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3

By Request: How I Groom My Eye Brows

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Strangely enough, I've been getting comments and questions recently on a feature that I've always felt was a bit of a problem for me. It's true, I have bushy, crazy and unruly eyebrows. They grow like weeds and need constant upkeep. And, I definitely can't do it alone (yes, I get professional help!), but I do a lot on my own in between those visits.

Lately those eye brows have gotten comments in posts, on Facebook, DMs on Twitter and even emails. How do I get them to look that way? What are my brow secrets? Which products are my favorite? Here's a quick peek at my current eye brow maintenance!

I know that there are probably some girls out there that have tried as many eyebrow products as I have, but really, I have tried a lot. After much trial and error, these are my favorite tools/products!

• Anastasia Precision Tweezers: I've tried pretty much every other tweezer out there (I have about 10 Tweezermans alone), but I always come back to these ones by Anastasia.

• Tweezerman Scissors: My favorite little scissors

• IT Cosmetics Brow Power: I used to use a similar pencil from Anastasia, but this one is a little better color for me and seems to last longer. I like automatic pencils with a very small lead so I don't need to do any sharpening. Powder also seems to make my bushy brows very overpowering, so I avoid using powder.

• Anastasia Dual Duality Highlighter: I have separate pencils for matte and shimmer, but this one combines both into 1 pencil.

• Anastasia Clear Brow Gel: Wax doesn't seem to work with my brows, so if things are particularly unruly I'll add a little of this at the end. It is much better than regular clear mascara, this actually holds and doesn't flake off!

• Revitalash: I've added a little of this in the past to any bald spots. It does work very quickly!

• Boom Boom Brow Job: I just started using this on those same bald spots about a week ago and it seems to be helping! It's easier to apply than the Revitalash because it has a felt tipped applicator rather than a brush. I'll update and let everyone know if it is my new product of choice!

I first learned this years and years ago, most likely from Allure Magazine. You can read about it over on the Anastasia site, but there are guidelines for where you eye brow should start, how long it should be and where your arch should arch. Clean up stragglers below by waxing/threading/tweezing, and you can do the same above but err on the side of leaving hairs on the top. The top of your brow should pretty much be left alone.

It can be surprisingly difficult to follow the correct landmarks, and I'm pretty good at doing basic cleanup, but I need help to keep the shape on course. About every 3-5 weeks (really, it depends a lot on my work schedule), I head over to my esthetician Amanda. She's a pro at waxing my brows back into submission. In between appointments I'll pluck any strays and do a little trimming.


The next images were all taken in my makeup mirror while I was actually doing my brows, hence the strange angles and things. The colors ended up a little strange, but I think you'll get the idea!

The other issue I have, other than having very thick brows, is that they grow like weeds. I'm a girl whose hair grows about 2 inches in 6 weeks. My eye brows aren't that bad, but they are definitely speedy! So, I do some trimming. I use a brow brush (or a spooly brush), comb things up, and using my small Tweezerman scissors I'll trim hairs if they stick up over my brow. Don't trim a lot at the same spot, you want them to be varied. I trim more tightly in the middle of my brows and very rarely trim the "tail" of my brows.


Here you can see that before filling them in, my brows can be a little thin in the center and sometimes I'll have bald spots. This isn't because I pulled out the hairs, but really, the area is just a little thin and if it's time for 1 hair to fall out and it was integral... yeah, a little bald spot. (More on how I try to encourage growth below.) To hide this, I fill them in a little.


When filling in my eye brows, I really prefer the look from a thin pencil. A lot of people use powder, but for me I think the result is a too-fake brow that is very strong and overwhelms my face. Not good.

To fill in the center of my brows, just follow the numbers. First I draw a straight line along the bottom (1), up the middle (2), then across the top (3). Once I have my rectangle, I roughly fill all of this in (4). I use short strokes but try to make it roughly uniform.


This is from my other brow, but you can see here roughly how much I filled it in. All of the lines are inside of the areas that have actual hair. Having hair is important for a natural looking brow. Please don't be one of those people that just has makeup for an eyebrow. It looks good in pictures on Pinterest, but in person it's just... yeah.


To fill in the rest of my brow, I run the pencil along the top of the brow (again, just inside of the hair line) and fill in a little below that. All with short strokes. I don't do much over here, it's just a little to make the arch a bit defined, not really filling in.

Once I've finished that, I turn around my pencil and run the spooly end through my brow to make the filling a bit more natural looking.


One thing that I have alluded to but haven't really explained is what I do to help treat the thinned areas/bald spots. They tend to come and go as hair fall out and grow back, but to hurry things along there are a few things that I do. First, I do scrub my brows every day. Rather than simply washing my face, I make a point of scrubbing my brows with a washcloth to help remove any skin/flakes. This helps a lot with having new hair grow, they don't seem to want to poke through non-exfoliated skin for some reason. When I get a little bald spot due to hairs falling out I'll use my lash serum (Revitalash) in that area, and lately I've been using the Boom Boom Room's Brow Job for that same reason. This help more hairs to grow in to fill in the area.


Here's the end result! They're more defined and neater, but not overly done and dominating my face.

What are your brow tricks?




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