Chica De Belleza

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it.." My Experience w/ MAC Studio Finish concealer!

2012-01-23T16:10:00.007-05:00

After about approximently 1 year and a half of use, I finally finished my MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30.

I bought this on a whim during one of my trips to the MAC counter, and it quickly made it's way into my everyday routine. I don't think I have dark circles under my eyes that are that bad, but when I apply concealer it instantly brightens my eyes up and makes me look more awake.

Even if I stayed up all night working on an assignment I had 3 weeks to do, I just slap this on in the morning and I'm good to go! No, "damn you look tired" comments needed.

I love this concealer because it's opaque, I don't feel I have to pack it on, and it lasts pretty much all day for me! There is fading by 10-11pm, I do apply my make-up at 7am, so I ain't mad!

It does crease, but I think with any concealer that you apply under your eyes will crease - given that there's a lot of movement in that area and everyone has natural creases under their eyes that their concealer will set in to.

Once I started hitting pan, I started researching about other under-eye concealers that were top hits in the beauty community. Even though I had no problems with the MAC Studio Finish concealer, I just wanted to try something new.

But then I remembered the saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Even though there are a million and one different brands and types of concealer out there, I feel as a beauty blogger, and as a girl that gets bored of one colour nail polish a couple of days after, I wanted to experiement and try something new and see what else is out there.

But, if I'm happy with what I have now, why waste the time, money and energy in looking for something new?

Trying to stay in tune with my New Year's resolution of limiting the amount of makeup I buy, I didn't want to spend money looking for something I was already content with.

For example, I don't have a Sephora in my local mall, so if I wanted to search for a new concealer - I would have to drive or communte to closest one. (either Square One in Mississauga, Yorkdale or Eaton Centre) $$.

If I did do that, I probably wouldn't just shop at Sephora, but also other stores (ie: the MAC freestanding store, the bigger H&M, the Coach store, Brown shoes, Zara, Victoria Secret and VS Pink, Forever 21, etc..) $$. Also having to pay for lunch, and if my sister goes with me usually I end up purchasing something for her/paying for lunch, and that's more $$.

So at the end of the day, to me, a trip to find a new concealer at the closest mall with a Sephora would cost a minimum of $200.

That's not including if I have to return or exchange the new concealer that I wanted to try (or anything else for that matter).

All in all, I'm happy with MAC's Studio Finish concealer to use on my under-eyes, and I have no complaints. So really, if it ain't broke, why should I fix it?

Anyone else understand or feel my pain?

Haul: Lashes from Madame Madeline

2012-01-20T11:47:00.003-05:00

I wanted to quickly share with you my haul from Madame Madeline. I decided to place an order for false lashes after realizing that I always want to use them in looks but I never have the "right" ones. If that makes sense?

After a bit of research I was reccomended Madame Madeline because of their cheap prices and huge variety of false lashes.

I placed my order on January 2nd and recieved it on Monday, January the 9th. I was pleasantly surprised because I was expecting it to take a minimum of 2 weeks, since it was coming from California and I placed the order during the holidays so I was anticipating a slow shipping time.

I'm happy with what I ordered, and I can't wait to start using them in looks!

If you haven't heard of Madame Madeline, I definitely suggest you check them out. If you have a specific type of lashes you love, right now you can stock up on them and get a discounted price depending on how much you order - I know a lot of people are a fan of the Ardell 101 Demi lashes, and right now they have a deal if you buy more than one type of the same lash you only pay $2.60 for each rather than the regular $3.49.

I payed $3.49/each for the Ardell lashes, and $1.99/each for the Red Cherry ones. Shipping to Canada was also a reasonable $5.00

My sister placed an order after I recieved mine, and I think she used a 15% coupon that was flying around. If you do plan on placing an order, check their Twitter for any coupon codes, because there are usually always one floating around!

*This isn't a sponsered post, I'm not being paid to mention this site and they don't even know that I'm posting this. I recently ordered from this site for the first time and was really surprised by their quick shipping and cheap prices, that I thought I'd make a quick post for anyone who hasn't heard of this site already. I just wanted to clear that up, because I do realize that this does seem like a sponsered post - but it is not. (:

Review: Maybelline Color Tattoo e/s in Painted Purple

2012-01-11T20:03:00.011-05:00

A few weeks ago I seen a new display of these Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo eyeshadows at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. They had a nice range of colours, and they were reasonably priced at $9.99 CDN. I swatched the tester and was pretty impressed that these cream eyeshadows were nicely pigmented.

I didn't pick them up because I wanted to read reviews and see swatches before I purchased anything. If you follow my blog, you know that I have oily eyelids, and cream eyeshadows can be a hit or miss for me. Also, I'm trying to get into the habit of researching and checking out reviews about products instead of purchasing things blindly and potentially throwing out money.

I was surprised to see that no one had mentioned anything about these. Google came up with zero results. I was pretty shocked because it's usually guaranteed that someone would have swatches or reviews about a new product. So I decied to skip and wait until I learned more about them.

Butttt.. everytime I walked into Shoppers, I was immediately drawn to the unique selection of colours and thought if anything, I could use it as liner or something, but luckily I was able to show some restraint. ;)

Finally, last week I walked into Shoppers and noticed that they were on sale for $8.00 CDN and thought, maybe that's a sign I should pick one up to try. I originally was drawn to the neutral shades but I decided to go for Painted Purple because I didn't have anything similar in my collection.

On a side note: I really wanted to pick up more than one to swatch for you guys (this is before all the reviews came out) but as much as I would love to do that, I know I probably wouldn't use certain shades often and I don't want to just hoard make-up just to swatch.

Name: Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24hr eyeshadow
Colour: Purple Passion
Packaging: Glass container with a plastic screw top lid, see-through bottom which allows you to see the colour.
Amount of Product: 14oz/4g
Price: $9.99 CDN *reflected on the regular retail price at Shoppers Drug Mart

This product has a nice creamy consistency which makes it easy to apply and blend. The colour I chose is nicely pigmented aswell. However, I did notice that it applies kind of patchy. It's not that noticable, but if you do want a solid wash of colour, you have to work a bit to blend and pat on the product to get an even application.

It's also really easy to build up the intensity of the colour, which I love because it makes the product really versatile.

Swatches:

This is one layer of product. If you enlarge the photo, you can see patchyness in the swiped swatch.

This is two layers of product, this time, instead of swiping on top of the first layer, I patted it to try and get an even wash, but you can see it is still a bit patchy.

This product is marketed as a long-wearing eyeshadow, but I liked to use it as a base under eyeshadow. However, I definitely think you can use this as a cream eyeshadow and do a wash and not have to worry about creasing or fading at all.

Here is a FOTD that I did using Purple Passion as a base under my eyeshadows:

USED:
UDPP (primer)
Maybelline Color Tattoo cream e/s in Purple Passion (as a base)
MAC Digit e/s (in the inner third of my lid)
MAC Parfait Amour e/s (middle of the lid)
Indigio e/s from the 88 Matte palette (in the crease)
MUFE No. 92 e/s (in the outer corner)
MAC Orb e/s (as highlight)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Maybelline Falsies mascara
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)

MAC Studio Fix powder in NC40
MAC On A Mission blush
MAC Harmony (to contour)

MAC Hug Me l/s

I did use a primer under this cream eyeshadow, but I wear a primer all the time regardless.

I was surprised when I came home 12+ hours later and my make-up looked just as good as it did when I first applied it. There was no oily/shinyness showing through or breaking down my make-up. I've never had that before, no matter what primer or base, or different combinations of primers and bases I use there is always is creasing/oilyness/shinyness on my eyelids sometimes a mere couple hours later after;

First Applied:

Twelve+ Hours Later:

You can see that my eyeshadows look just as intense as when I first applied them. There was a tiny bit of creasing, but noting noticable. There was no oilyness shining through either:

All in all, I was really impressed with this as a base, and I'm definitely looking forward to trying the other colours. These remind me of MAC paint pots, but for half the price. Like I mentioned, these were $9.99 (regular price) at Shoppers, and if you're Canadian, you know that Shoppers is on the more expensiver side, especially with cosmetics. I haven't looked at Wal-Mart (which I've read some people have found them at as well) but I'm sure it would probably be $1-$3 cheaper. Regardless, I wouldn't mind paying $9.99 for them.

I also want to mention, this is a prematue "review" since I've only worn this product once, but I'm planning on picking up a more neutral colour that I can use daily - if there are any changes or anything, I'll definitely keep you guys updated and let you know :)

2 Different FOTD's Inspired by 2 Lovely Bloggers

2011-12-29T23:22:00.013-05:00

Here's a look I did on Christmas eve. My family and I don't celebrate Christmas, but we took the opportunity to go out for dinner. I did this look after seeing a FOTD that Janella from Bold & Beautiful posted using MAC's Expensive Pink eyeshadow. I've recently discovered her blog and she posts a lot of beautiful looks. I have a few colour combinations that she's posted FOTD's on that I can't wait to try out. Expensive Pink eyeshadow is one of my favourite eyeshadows, and I loved the look she created so I decided to recreate it. Here's my take on it:

USED:
UDPP
MAC Perky paintpot
MAC Expensive Pink e/s (on the lid)
MAC Satin Taupe e/s (outer corner and crease)
MAC Sketch e/s (outer V)

MAC Studio Fix powder foundation in NC40
MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30 (as undereye concealer)
MAC On A Mission blush
MAC Harmony (to contour)
Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray

MAC Hug Me l/s

Sorry I didn't get any close ups of this look. But it's pretty simple and the placement is the exact same as most of my other looks.

Andddd, here's a look I did today. I've seen this photo on someones tumblr:

This photo is from a FOTD that Ronnie at Bows & Curtseys posted here (she also has a video tutorial here!). If you aren't fimilar with Ronnie's blog, I HIGHLY suggest you check it out. Her looks are stunning and I get a tonne of inspiration by just flipping through her blog.

I loved the rainbow liner. Bethany/iwanted2c1video on YouTube did a tutorial based on this here aswell. I decided to do my own take on it. I was actually heading to work today, so I didn't decided to narrow it down and use one of my favourite colour combinations - green, blue and purple. Here is my take:

USED:
UDPP
MAC Untitled paint
Wet n' Wild Color Icon e/s in Brulee (all over)
MAC Cork e/s (in crease)
MAC Soft Brown e/s (in crease)
MAC Femme Fi e/s (right under brow arch)
MAC Vanilla pigment (on tearduct and lower lashline)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Urban Decay Graffiti, Peace and Ransom e/s (as the coloured liner)

I didn't get any good close-ups once again, sorry! I was in a rush to get to work, and I think I need to play around more with my camera to see what settings/lightings work best for clear photos.

I got a few compliments on this look, and I really liked it!

I've been trying lately to get out of my comfort zone and try out new eyeshadow combinations and techniques, but it's a lot harder than it seems. If you guys have any favourite bloggers or gurus that you get a lot of inspiration from, please share! I'm always looking for photos or looks that other people to do try to recreate and get my out of my rut!

NOTD ft. Nails INC Magnetic Polish

2011-12-19T21:34:00.005-05:00

My sister recently purchased the new Nails INC. Magnetic Polish in House of Parliament from Sephora (retails for $18 CDN) and I thought I'd show you it as my NOTD.

To be honest, in my opinion, it's not really a unique polish, as far as the "magnetic properties" goes. I applied two coats of colour, and immediately after I applied the second coat of polish I hovered the magnet attached to the cap over my wet nail. For some reason the effect wasn't so prominent on my nails - despite hovering the magnet for varies amounts of time - but if I look really closely, it does have a cool 3D effect.

It's the second day of wearing this polish and there's some chip wear - which I don't normally see until around day 3 of my manicures.

Is it worth the $18? Eh.. not really in my opinion. However, it did look better on my sister's nails, and the effect was more visible. So maybe it's just a user error or a practise-using-it thing, but regardless, I wouldn't pay for it.

Here's what I used for this manicure:

Left to right:
Essie Disappearing Trick cuticle remover
OPI Nail Envy (original) - two coats
Nails INC. Magnetic Polish in House of Parliament - 2 coats
Seche Vite top coat - one coat
OPI Avoplex cuticle oil

Have you used the Nails INC. magnetic polishes? Did you have better luck with it than I did?

"Eyebrows are sisters, not twins.."

2011-12-06T14:57:00.008-05:00

We've all heard this quote before - and whether we're talking about eyebrows, blending our eyeshadows perfectly on each eye or applying equal amounts of blush on each of our cheeks, we know that obtaining symmetry is hard.

After cleaning up my eyebrows, filling them in and edging them with concealer to finish - I sat back and noticed that each of my eyebrows are noticably (well to me) different from eachother.

I went to look at myself in my larger dresser mirror, but I didn't see any noticable differences. However, upon closer inspection, it's clear that they're two different shapes.

Here's a photo of me looking straight on towards the camera;

Here's a photo I drew in Paint Shop Pro to outline the differences. My left brow (your right in the pictures) is more straight with a sharp angle, whereas my right brow (your left in the pictures) is nicely angled and tapered.

The first photo of my actual brows better depicts the difference, and the second photo I drew shows how it doesn't make a difference really because they both pretty much look the same from a far.

Being a perfectionist, it still bothers me.

So tell me, are your brows twins? Or more like sisters? Please don't let me be the only one that's so fixated on this, lol.

I just don't get the hype..

2011-12-04T11:07:00.002-05:00

Have you ever stayed up late one night and found yourself watching cheesy informercials? Pajama jeans, snugglies, fake cigarettes, etc.. There always seems to be something gimmicky in the consumer world.

Ever since I first got into make-up, I've seen a whole lot of things hyped up and seen them come and go. Whether it be products, brushes, palettes, etc.. there is always something that people rave about for a time period, and then it's totally forgotten about.

Something I haven't given into the hype is highlighters and highlighting products.

Maybe it's the fact that I have oily skin, and I feel that highlighting products can just emphasize that, or maybe I don't see the whole "glowly" skin that everyone seems to be aiming for?

I think it may be the fact that there are so many products marketed into giving you a glowy look, but I feel that there are so many other things in your collection already that you can use to achieve the same results.

I purchased a few of these products, for example, the coveted NARS Albatross, but I feel like what's the difference between using Albatross to highlight versus using an eyeshadow? Or a pigment? Or a pigment mixed into some moisturizer?

I have a few shimmery highlight eyeshadows and it's very hard for me to justify why I need to have a $30 highlighter when I have something already in my collection that I can use to highlight my face with.

I can't just throw out my $30 not-so-well-spent product in the trash, but everytime I use it, I think to myself, "I just don't get the hype.."

Atleast for me, I got it in a blog sale, so I didn't pay retail + tax.

How do you feel about purchasing products that are marketed solely for one thing? Like facial highlighters and illuminaters?

Brown Smokey FOTD

2011-11-19T22:41:00.005-05:00

I was applying some brown eyeliner the other day to switch from my just-mascara look I've been wearing lately. I added a little bit of a darker brown eyeshadow to it, and I didn't like how it looked so I decided to smudge it out quite a bit and get a little bit of a difference look.

Somehow, I ended up adding eyeshadow and coming up with this look.

I actually really liked it, and it seemed simple to met, yet it was defined, and I felt like it really brought out my eyes.

I don't remember the exact placement of eyeshadows because I was kind of just going a long with it and adding whatever I deemed fit, but I will list what I used.

Last photo was taken without flash.

USED:
UDPP
Annabelle Eye Kohl e/l in Chestnut
Annabelle Eye Kohl in Black
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s
MAC Cork e/s
MAC Espresso e/s
MAC Femme Fi e/s
Wet n' Wild Color Icon Vanity palette - matte black e/s
Wet n' Wild Color Icon e/s in Brulee
Maybelline Falsies mascara

Eyebrows: MAC Night Maneuvers e/s

Dollarama Find - Part 2

2011-11-12T09:27:00.008-05:00

I usually purchase my essentials from dollar stores to help save money. Q-tips, cotton pads, nail polish remover, etc.. So when I was at Dollarama to pick up a few of these essentials, I picked up these large cotton pads to use for removal of my make-up. I like the fact that they're bigger because it means less time spent removing my make-up, and less cotton pads used.

Swissper 50 count ultra-soft cleansing pads

I paid $2 and they contain 50 pads which are 4 by 3.5 inch rectangles. I love that these are thick and more durable than your average cotton pad - which means no tearing or leaving fuzzies on your face.

These cotton pads are quilted which makes them stronger and great for use with liquids.

What I especially love is that these have 2 layers that can easily be pulled apart, and the 1-ply layer is still pretty durable. (Think about 2-ply tissue, 2-ply tissue is more durable than a 1-ply layer of tissue - but the 1-ply layer of these cotton pads are just as durable as the 2 ply!) And since I don't wear face make-up and usually just eye make-up, I don't need a whole 4 by 3.5 inch cotton pad to take my make-up, so usually I cut them in half or quarters.

Pulling the two layers apart

The two layers

So from one cotton pad, I pull apart the layers to have 2 cotton pads, and I usually cut these in half which means I get 4 uses out of one cotton pad (granted that I use one to removal all of my eye make-up). 4 x 50 = 200! So out of one $2 package, I get approximately 200 uses.

Also, I'm 80% sure that I seen this exact brand and exact product at Sally's the other day retailing for $8.49 or something like that. I've tried searching on the Sally's Beauty website for this specific product or brand, but they don't seem to carry it.

Dollarama has definitely been upping its game lately and carrying more "drugstore" items. I've seen products from Sally Hansen, La Cross and E.L.F to mention a few at my local Dollarama with prices ranging from $1-$3.

Is it weird that I just posted about cotton pads?..

Switching My Looks Up - FOTD

2011-11-01T16:17:00.005-04:00

With the change of seasons comes a change of the eyeshadow colours that I use in my looks. I feel like with fall and winter, it's all about jewelled, earthy tones, where spring and summer is all about colour.

I did this look the other day based on this change and I loved how it turned out. I felt like the colours went well with what I envisioned "fall makeup" to be, but still had that pop of colour that I love.

USED:

UDPP
MAC Painterly paintpot
MAC Expensive Pink e/s (all over the lid)
MAC Coppering e/s (outer third of the lid)
MAC Soft Brown e/s (in the crease)
MAC Espresso e/s (outer V)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara
Forever 21 false eyelashes

MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30
MAC Prolong Wear foundation in NC35
MAC On A Mission blush
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny (to contour)

Rimmel London l/s in Birthday Suit
MAC Love Nectar l/g

I haven't been wearing much make-up lately because I haven't really had the time, and also because I don't wear contacts anymore so I feel like what's the point if you don't see much behind my glasses?

I also haven't been inspired much lately, if you guys could suggest any favourite YT'ers or bloggers that you get your inspiration from, I'd really appreciate it!

My Experience With Shellac!

2011-10-27T21:00:00.006-04:00

I love having polished, clean, well manicured nails, but I hate chipping nail polish, smudges and dullness that can come along with having polished nails. I'm hard on my hands, so usually my polish won't last more than 2-3 days (if I'm lucky!) before chipping. Lately all I've been wearing on my nails was a coat of clear nail polish.

Recently, I walked past a nail salon looking at my raggedy nails, and I wondered if they could cut my cuticles. I do have a cuticle cutter at home, but they usually end up looking even more raggedy that before. So I thought, I'll have my cuticles "professionally" cut and then go home and give myself a manicure. Simple right?

Photo credit here - Found via Google Images

Wrong.

Somehow I ended up getting talked into getting a Shellac manicure.. I wanted to share my thoughts and experience with you, because I haven't seen many people talk about this type of treatment.

What is Shellac?

Shellac is a UV set gel nail polish by CND that is marketed as being able to provide you 14-day wear, a mirror (shiny) finish with zero dry time and and no damage to your natural nail.

Anyone who paints their nails have at least once suffered the inevitable smudging or nicking before your polish is dry, or that big noticable chip the day after painting your nails, and for many (like myself) this is what discourages one from going through the trouble of painting your nails in the first place.

However, Shellac is suppose to diminish all of that.

Shellac polishes come in 30 colours, but keep in mind that your salon may only carry a few colours instead of the whole range. With that being said, Shellac is a treatment that can only be done at salons and not at home yourself.

The Process:

My experience at the salon I went to is that it was a basic manicure (cutting/filing down nails, cutting and conditioning my cuticles) and instead of regular polish they used Shellac. Between coats, they have you place your hand under a UV light (similar to what they do when you get acrylic nails) for a few seconds to "cure" each layer of the polish.

I had decided to go for it and get a French manicure. Here is a photo after I had gotten home. Don't mind my short nails, this manicure wasn't planned and like I mentioned they had cut/filed my nails down during the manicure.

Sorry for the awkward photo, this was the best I could get :P

I decided to opt for a French manicure because it's simple, classy, always in fashion, and goes with everything. I was also surprised by how shiny my nails were.I was curious to see how long this manicure would last on my nails, especially since I am so hard on my hands.

A week after my nails were still intact with no chipping whatsoever, they were also still shiny! The only problem I had was that as my nails were growing, the edges of the polish were starting to lift and peel. It wasn't a huge deal - especially since I had opted for no colour on my nail, but I'm not sure how this would have looked if I had gotten a bright or dark colour. I also noticed that on my tips, the polish was starting to "crack." It wasn't chipping, and it wasn't noticable unless you really looked up close at my nails.

I tried my best to capture the peeling of the edges and the cracking, but it was difficult. If you enlarge the photo and zoom in you might be better able to see what I'm talking about. (On my middle finger you can see a bit of the cracking).

As far as the claim of causing no damage to your natural nail - I haven't noticed any difference in my nails. I do have brittle, thin, peeling nails, but I did notice that while I had Shellac on I didn't experience any peeling of my nails - which usually occurs when I have polish on. So that was definitely a plus for me.

All in all, the manicure ended up lasting approximently 3 weeks before I started picking at it, which I was really surprised with. If you're someone who like me, loves the look of polish but hates the up keep with it, try Shellac out. One downside however is if you are someone who likes to switch up your nail polish often, you'll probably get bored of the colour you've chosen after the first week.

Another downside is you have to go into a salon to have Shellac removed, which will end up being an added expense (you'll have to pay for it). If you decided to go into a salon and have another manicure done with Shellac, I'm pretty sure they would remove the existing Shellac polish you have and then continue with the manicure - so, I'm not sure if they would include the price of removal in the manicure or what.

However, according to the CND website, Shellac is removed with acetone. If you aren't already aware, acetone nail polish remover has been taken off consumer shelves because it was discovered to be a carcinogen (linked to causing cancer). You can buy acetone nail polish remover at Sally Beauty Supply, but you probably won't be able to find it at regular stores like Shoppers Drug Mart, Zellers or Wal-Mart. You also won't be able to remove this with regular nail polish (I've tried!)

EDITED (October 30th) - 100% pure acetone is available at Wal-Mart (the brand that they sell is called Onyx), however, I cannot find it at Zellers or Shoppers Drug Mart. So apparently it is still available to consumers.

However, I've tried acetone to remove the remainder of my Shellac manicure and it didn't work very well. I didn't try the foil method because its just a little bit on my nails and I felt that the acetone would be more damaging.

Would I get a Shellac manicure done again? Probably. I love how long it lasted, I was constantly checking my nails for any chips and was surprised that it lasted so long.

2 FOTD's

2011-08-15T18:12:00.006-04:00

I know, I know, I knowwwwwwww. I was trying not to sit here and come up with excuses, but the biggest thing is that I haven't been wearing much make-up lately! The most I've been doing on a daily basis is mascara and concealer. That's it. *shrug*

I haven't really played around with make-up since June, the last time I distinctly remember is when I did my make-up for my friend's birthday - and I did this look:

Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Teal Pigment (on the lid and lower lashline)
Star Makeup Haven In A Bind e/s (on outer corner/crease)
Wet n' Wild Vanity Palette (matte black in outer corner)
Wet n' Wild e/s in Brulee (as highlight)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)
Maybelline Falsies mascara

MAC Prolongwear Foundation in NC35
MAC Pinch o' Peach blush
And a little bit of NARS Laguna bronzer

Probably Annabelle's Lip Shine in Breathless on my lips

Today is finally the first time in a long while that I put some actual eyeshadow and make-up on, this is the look I'm currently rocking:

Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Naked pigment (all over the lid)
MAC Cork e/s (outer corner/crease)
MAC Espresso e/s (outer V)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara
NYC Kohl Eyeliner in White (on waterline)
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)

MAC Prolongwear Foundation in NC35
MAC On A Mission blush
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny (to contour)
NARS Albatross (to highlight)

Annabelle l/l in Cherry
MAC Russian Red

I trying hard to get posts up, and I apologize to those who have been checking back for updates.

FOTD Dump (WARNING: Pic Heavy!)

2011-05-29T21:32:00.007-04:00

I have so many photos from looks that I've done in my folder that I've never gotten around to editing and uploading/blogging about. So, I thought I'd put them all together and load them off and show you guys all at once.

None of these looks are all that interesting, but I thought I'd share anyways. Now I will warn you that I don't recall what I've used in most of these looks, but if I do, they will be posted below the photo.

I think I used MAC's All That Glitters e/s on the lid, with probably MAC's Cork e/s in the outer corner/crease. The lower lashline is MAC's Sweet n' Punchy, Bitter and Electric Eel e/s.

I think I used MAC's Electrolady Liquidlast e/l on my upper lashline (it explains why it looks shiny and odd - the liquidlast e/l are difficult to work with). I do know that I used MAC's Virgin Isle cream colour base on my lips.

I've mentioned before I want to practice on applying eyeshadows using different techniques and placements because I'm so used to doing the same thing over and over with different colours. (ie: light colour on the lid, darker colour on the outer lid/crease). I vowed that this coming week (or whenever I play around with eyeshadows) I'll attempt to try something new.

With that said, here's a look I did the other day before work using a new-er technique. This is the "dark in the lashline, light in the crease" placement. I actually really liked the way this turned out, and I can't wait to try this using different colours.

USED:
UDPP (primer)
MAC Soft Ochre paintpot (base)
Wet n' Wild Color Icon Vanity palette (matte black all over the lid)
MAC Espresso e/s (in the crease)
MAC Cork e/s (above the crease and blended into the highlight)
Wet n' Wild Brulee e/s (as highlight)
MAC Femme Fi e/s (right under brow arch)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline (a little bit on the upper lashline)
MAC Teal pigment (on lower lashline)
Bonne Bell Eye Definer e/l in Glow (on waterline)
ELF Dramatic false lashes
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)

FOTD: Victorian Style? (Bad gone good)

2011-05-11T11:03:00.005-04:00

The other day, (this is from like, 2 weeks ago!) I was sitting at my vanity doing my make-up and decided to use two of my favourite MAC shadows in a combination - MAC's Mulch eyeshadow, and MAC's Sketch eyeshadow.

Starting out with the look, I applied Mulch e/s all over the lid, and used Sketch e/s in the crease - and I immediately didn't like the look. It reminded me of something from a dark, drafty, damp room in a Victorian castle.

Photo credit

And I just wasn't feeling it. One thing about me is that I HATE doing my make-up and then taking it off and doing it again. So I just decided to go with it and finish the look. Adding liner and mascara and having the look completed differently changed my perception of the look and I ending up liking it.

I find that applying finishing touches (such as liner, mascara, etc..) definitely changes and completes a look.

My biggest problem with this look is the trouble I had with the lashes. I honestly had took them off and reapplied them about 7-8 times. I originally had on the E.L.F Natural lashes, but finally switched them to the Bare Elements lashes from Dollarama.

USED:

UDPP (as primer)
MUFE Aqua Cream # 15 (as base)
MAC Mulch e/s (all over the lid)
MAC Sketch e/s (outer corner/crease)
MAC Woodwinked e/s (in tearduct)
Wet n' Wild Color Icon Palette in Greed (matte black in outer V)
MAC Orb e/s (as highlight)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Maybelline Falsies mascara
Bare Elements lashes
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)
Annabelle Eye Kohl e/l in Black (on waterline)

Haul: Lip Products

2011-04-24T11:26:00.002-04:00

I'm not a huge lipgloss/lipstick wearer. I usually apply it just once when I'm finished my makeup, and I don't bother touching it up throughout the day. I've been meaning to get out of that and expand my lip product collection since I've really gotten into wearing brighter lipsticks lately.

I ended up Back to MAC'ing for MAC's Impassioned lipstick. Originally I had my eye on MAC's Morange lipstick, but they didn't have anything in stock!

At first I thought Impassioned would be similar to MAC's Girl About Town lipstick, but you'll notice in the swatches below that Girl About Town is more blue based, whereas Impassioned is described as "a bright hot pink that runs a little warmer, a little more orange-red tone to it. It has a super creamy finish, and it is ultra pigmented." (via Temptalia)

I feel like I'll get a lot more wear out of Impassioned, especially in the summer season.

At Shoppers Drug Mart, I ended up picking up two of the Annabelle Le Gloss Lip Shine lipglosses that were on sale for $4,99 each (regularly priced at $9.49 at Shoppers). I've had my eye on Missymiss l/g that launched with Annabelle's Day Dream collection. It's a nice creamy light orange/peachy gloss. Unfortunately, it doesn't show up very well on my lips - but it's okay because I bought it to wear over lipsticks anyways.

I've been in love with Annabelle's Lip Shine lipglosses ever since I received Breathless from XinaRox's giveaway that I had won a while back. I love the formula since it's not sticky at all and feels nice and smooth on my lips. So I ended up purchasing a back up of Breathless l/g. I wear it over almost all of my lipsticks.

Anyways, with that being said, a long time ago someone requested me to do a tutorial on this look I posted a while back, and I promised her I would.

This was like, literally months ago, and ever since then it's been constantly been on my mind that I need to do this tutorial because she requested it and I said I would. The other day I finally sat down and started filming a tutorial, but half way through my camera ran out of memory. *slams head against desk*

I'm going to attempt to film it again today, and hopefully I'll be more prepared, so look out for that!

FOTD: Bright Green

2011-04-17T15:22:00.002-04:00

I did this look yesterday using MAC's Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow. I remember reading somewhere that Gorgeous Gold was great to use in neutral looks so I decided to try it out. Unfortunately all the colours I thought I'd pair with it didn't really go, so I ended up just doing a green look:

USED:
UDPP
MAC's Gorgeous Gold e/s (all over the lid)
Various green e/s from the Matte 88 Palette (in crease/outer corner)
Annabelle Lagoon e/s (in outer corner to deepen up the look)
Wet n' Wild Brulee e/s (as highlight)
MAC Vanilla pigment (right under brow arch)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
L'Oreal Carbon Black Voluminious mascara
Bonne Bell Eye Definer e/l in Glow (on waterline)
Annabelle Glitterama Liquid Eyeliner in Kryptonite (on lower lashline)
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)

MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30 (on undereye circled)
MAC Prolong Wear foundation in NC35
MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Medium Plus
MAC Pinch O' Peach blush
Hard Candy baked blush in Honeymoon (as highlight)

Rimmel Moisture Renew l/s in Nude Delight
NYX Pumpkin Pie l/s (layered over)
L'Oreal Glam Shine l/g in Sheer Peach

Intensified Neutral FOTD

2011-04-15T23:18:00.008-04:00

While doing my make-up today, I wanted to put a spin on my regular neutral look, and I did that with liner! I never wear black/coloured liner on my waterline/lower lashline. I feel like it's too messy for me and I have to constantly check how it looks and that it's not running or smudging or anything.

But, it's a great way to add instant drama to your look. And that's what I did with my make-up today. I took it another extra step further by extending my liner in my inner corner to get a cat/feline type of look.

I would of added false lashes for extra drama, but I was heading off to work and didn't want to be over the top.

Do you ever do that? Do your make-up according to where you're going and what type of setting you'll be in? I work in retail, so I don't have any restrictions as far as my make-up goes (as far as I know) - so I can wear bright colours or dark smokey looks. But that doesn't mean that I do it all the time. The reason being is because sometimes a certain look won't fit into the environment that I work in. Do you get what I'm saying?

Like, for example. I won't wear bold lips to work but I have no problem doing colourful/dark looks. But then again, I won't wear bold lips when I'm going out to eat (because I'd have to constantly check my lips to make sure the colour hasn't faded, or is feathering and having to touch it up). I always take into consideration what I'm doing that day/where I'm going when I do my make-up to see if a look would be "appropriate". Does anyone do that as well? Or am I the only one? lol :P

These photos were taken when I got home from work:

USED:
UDPP
MAC Naked pigment (used wet on the lid)
MAC Cork e/s (in crease)
MAC Espresso e/s (in other corner/crease)
MAC Orb e/s (as highlight)
MAC Naked Lunch e/s (right under brow arch)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline (on upper lashline)
Annabelle Eye Kohl e/l in Black (on lower lashline)
L'Oreal Carbon Black Voluminous mascara
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (used to fill in brows)

MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30 (on under eye circles)
MAC Prolong Wear Foundation in NC35
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Medium Plus
NARS Laguna bronzer
MAC Cheeky Bronze MSF

Rimmel Moisture Renew l/s in Nude Delight
Annabelle Lip Shine l/g in Breathless

Question + I Want Your Input!

2011-03-29T18:44:00.002-04:00

Just a quick text post.

First off, I was wondering, how many of my readers are from the GTA or Peel Region? I ask this because I was debating on whether or not I should start posting "reviews" or my input on certain places/salons/spas that I go for beauty services. For example, threading, waxing, hair, etc..

Most of it would be focused on places that I go to get threaded or do my eyebrows - but I was wondering if it would even be helpful if no one is anywhere near the area.

Kind of like Yelp.ca but more detailed?

I'm not sure, but it was just a thought because there are some places that I've been to frequently for getting my threading done (?) that I feel like you should definitely skip based on my experiences there, and there is also some places that I feel (based on my experiences and others) that would be the best place in the city/that area of town/whatever/etc.. to get your eyebrows done.

Thoughts?

All About Eyebrows: Part 3 - Filling Them In

2011-03-23T18:48:00.007-04:00

So finally, I bring you my last and final installment on my "All About Eyebrows" series. This one took me a while because every time I tried to take a photo of me actually doing my eyebrows, it just never worked out.. Anyways, I hope that this suffices and you get the basic idea. If you have any questions, comments, etc.. let me know!

Tools:

I'll start by showing you what I use to fill my eyebrows in with:

MAC Night Maneuvers e/s and EcoTools angled eyeliner/brow brush.

Usually, I use a dark brown eyeshadow (in my case I've been using MAC's Night Maneuvers eyeshadow) - which actually isn't a matte eyeshadow. It's a satin finish with a bit of blue glitter, but it doesn't show up in my brows, it basically comes off matte.

I would recommend going with a matte eyeshadow/pencil or whatever, but, go with whatever works for you. Clara from Beauty by Clara actually uses MAC's Mulch eyeshadow in her brows, which I thought was interesting, but it works for her!

Left to right: MAC Night Maneuvers e/s, ELF Studio Cream Liner in Coffee, matte black e/s from Wet n' Wild Color Icon Greed palette, MAC Blacktrack fluidline.

Above are some swatches of the products that I like to fill in my brows with. A lot of people suggest against using a black to fill in your brows, but I disagree with that. I have dark brows, and sometimes when I use a brown it's too light and clearly noticeable, and I find using a matte black eyeshadow is a perfect match - and you really only need a little bit.

I also used to use MAC's Blacktrack fluidline, after I was finished applying my eyeliner, I would use whatever was left over on my brush in my brows. So it's really about experimenting and seeing what works for you.

How I fill in my brows:

I don't really "fill in" my brows, I concentrate more on perfecting my shape. I have pretty full eyebrows, so mostly I just outline them so that I create a more predominate shape.

Step 1:

I always do my eyebrows after I'm finished doing my make-up. I take a spoolie and run it through my brows so that all the hairs are running in the same direction.

Step 2:
I pick up some product with my angled brush, and basically make a line across the top of my brow. I also use my brush to blend the line I made into my brows.

Step 3:
I go back and pick up more product on my brush and make a second line going down on the outside of my tail. Once again I blend that line into my brows so there isn't a harsh line.

Step 4:
Finally, I go back and pick up just a little bit more of product on my brush and draw a line underneath my brows, blending it into my brows once again.

Step 5:
My final step is taking some brow gel (I like to use Maybelline's Great Lash clear mascara) and run it through my brows to keep the hair in place and not have it looking strangaly (?).

So that's basically it, that's all I do with my brows. I hope that was helpful and that I was clear enough with everything for those of you who wondered on how I did them.

All About Eyebrows: Part 1 - History of my Brows
All About Eyebrows: Part 2 - Maintenance

FOTD: Sunset Inspired

2011-03-18T10:05:00.006-04:00

I did this look a long time ago, and loved how it turned out - but of course I couldn't find my camera so I could do a FOTD. I ended up recreating it last week and this is probably one of my favourite looks:

USED:
UDPP (primer)
MAC Soft Ochre paintpot (base)
MAC Goldmine e/s (inner corner)
MAC Expensive Pink e/s (middle of lid and lower lashline)
MUFE # 92 e/s (outer corner/crease)
Wet n' Wild Brulee e/s (highlight)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion mascara
Bonne Bell Eye Definer e/l in Glow (on waterline)
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (brows)

MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30 (under eye circles)
MAC Prolong Wear Foundation in NC35
MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny (to contour)
NARS Deep Throat blush

I can't remember what I used on my lips :/

The photos kind of wash the look out, but I love how it turned out.

Also, I've been having trouble with doing the final installment of my brow tutorial, but I will have that up soon!

Nails Post - Swatches? + My New Storage

2011-03-12T19:49:00.003-05:00

I'm not a huge nail polish wearer, but I mostly always have my nails painted. Does that even make sense? I have a nice variety of colours, but I hate the look of chipped polish, so I try not to paint my nails with colourful polishes. I'm a big clear, or nude/pastel polish wearer.

Here are a few polishes that I've worn recently - these are actually over the last week, lol:

This is one of my first Color Club polishes, this is in "Lady Like"

I loveeee dark polishes, but only when it's pristine and fresh. It's a nice contrast against my skintone. This is Essie's "Sole Mate" with Wet n' Wild's Wild Shine Nail Color in "Night Prowl" on top.

This is what I have on my nails currently, this is China Glaze's "Peachy Keen" polish, with Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure polish in "Hidden Treasure" on the index finger.

I also wanted to share my DIY nail polish storage that I came up with. Like most people, I keep my polishes all thrown together in an old shoe box - which led to a few broken bottle mishaps. I've been trying to come up with a nice way to keep it organized, but it's hard to think of a way other than purchasing a nail polish rack. I don't like the look of those, nor do I want to hang one up on my wall, so I had to find something else.

I came up with this:

It's fairly simple to make, and I don't have to worry about the glass bottles banging against each other. I do have to make another one because this only held about half of my polishes - but it keeps things organize nicely and I can see all my polishes without having to root around in a box.

FOTD: Matte Blue Sugarpill Inspired

2011-03-09T20:10:00.005-05:00

I was on YouTube the other day and I came across this tutorial using the Sugarpill Burning Heart Palette which intrigued me to check out the Sugarpill website where I came across the Cold Heart palette. I was seriously tempted to purchase it, but I already have MUFE # 92, which is suppose to be a dupe for Sugarpill's Poison Plum - and I already have a matte white and matte black, and probably have a matte blue so I decided against it. I ended up playing around with what I had and came up with this look:

*None of the links to the Sugarpill website are affiliate links.

USED:
EYES:
UDPP (primer)
MAC Soft Ochre paintpot (base)
Wet n' Wild Pride palette matte white e/s (inner corner)
Blues from 88 Original palette (lid and outer third)
MAC Deep Truth e/s (crease)
Matte black e/s from 88 palette (in outer V)
Wet n' Wild Brulee e/s (as highlight)
MAC Femme Fi e/s (right under brow arch)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
CoverGirl Lashblast Fusion mascara
Bonne Bell Eye Definer e/l in Glow (on waterline)
MAC Night Maneuvers e/s (to fill in brows)

FACE:
MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30 (on undereyes)
MAC Prolong Wear Foundation in NC35
MAC MSFN in Medium Plus (to set foundation)
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny (to contour)
NYX blush in Angel
MAC Pinch o' Peach blush

LIPS:
Rimmel Moisture Renew l/s in Nude Delight
Revlon Super Lustrous l/g in Life's A Peach

I've never done an all matte look before, and I really liked how it turned out! There are a few things I would of changed, like maybe using a different highlight because it came off too white - but that's because I really packed it on to bring down the blue a bit because I had blended it to far up. I also would of added false eyelashes, but I was in a rush and didn't want to mess the look up and was wearing glasses anyways.

I also created an angle by using my concealer to clean it up. But looking back at photos I should of blended it just a bit because it looks odd with the highlight colour not blending into my skin.

Overall, I'm happy with the look and liked how it turned out. Definitely got my creative juices flowing (:

All About Eyebrows: Part 2 - Maintenance

2011-03-05T12:10:00.008-05:00

Continuing with my All About Eyebrows series, I wanted to talk more in-depth about how I maintain my eyebrows.

I feel like maintenance is the most important thing for caring for your brows because it helps keep your eyebrows clean and crisp looking.

I used to be one of those girls who would go and get my eyebrows done, wait two weeks for them to get unruly and go and get them done again - no plucking or maintenance in between visits. But since I've started doing my eyebrows myself, I've started to get into plucking/threading my eyebrows daily, if not every 2-3 days.

Brow Hair:
I have two types of hair around my brows, thick hair and very fine hair.

For me, my brow shape can get messed up quite easily because of the little fine hairs, these can be hard to pluck and usually get picked out when I thread. If I don't frequently clean up my brows and these fine hairs, it can contribute to the shape of my brows becoming unruly and less crisp (if that makes sense, I hope I'm not losing you here, but more on this a bit later!)

In the photo below (click to view it full size) you can see what I'm talking about when I mention those fine hairs:

How Do I Maintain My Brows?
I posted earlier about how I was all about threading my eyebrows. Since I can't really thread my eyebrows 100% myself, I've started plucking hairs under my brow, and threading the fine hairs above my brow.

I can only thread the top of my brows because it doesn't require me to stretch the skin taut, where as if I were to thread below my brows, I can't do it myself because I would need to stretch the skin (which I can't do it I'm using both hands to thread).

I use regular thread and make a loop and thread (you can check Pursebuzz's video here to get an idea on how to thread your eyebrows yourself).

For thicker hairs, I like to use tweezers:

I usually use the pointed tweezers picture on the bottom, but I find that I mostly end up breaking the hair and causing kind of "ingrown" hairs. This is because I try to pluck too soon and can't grip the hair well enough to pull it out, and I end up breaking the hair. So I recently went out and invested in a set of Tweezerman tweezers - these ones here - I've used them a bit so far, and to be honest I don't notice a HUGE difference, but we'll see how they work out in the long run.

How I Do My Eyebrows:
I cannot stress the importance of doing your eyebrows during the day by a window and with a hand held mirror. I find it's a lot easier to get every-single-hair including those fine pesky ones as well. Before I do my make-up (while I'm waiting for my moisturizer to sink in) I usually check for any stray hairs that need to be plucked, and that is when I take the time to do it. It usually doesn't take longer than 5 minutes if I'm plucking daily.

Every now and then I'll get my eyebrows threaded just to clean things up precisely again (I usually go once every 2-3 months), but mostly I focus on doing my eyebrows myself. If you're unfamiliar with threading, check my post here on that talks about it in more detail. Below is a photo of my eyebrows right after I've had them threaded:

Since my brow hairs can get pretty long, I usually trim them once a week using a tiny pair of brow scissors as shown below. I use a spoolie (a cleaned out mascara wand) to comb my brows so they're all going in the same direction.

How Do I Shape My Brows?
To be honest, that's something I haven't really done myself. Over time and having my eyebrows threaded by someone else, I've gotten it to the shape that I have today, which follows the whole "perfect brow" form:

If you have been following my blog for a while, you would of noticed how my brows thickness can fluctuate. As shown in the photos below:

^ Thicker brows (my brows are filled in here).

^ Thicker brows (my brows are filled in here).

^ Thinner brows (my brows are filled in here).

This is due to the fact that on my brows, on the underside of the inner part of my brows, I have to pay extra attention to a line of fine hairs to pluck, because if I don't pluck them, they can make my brows thicker.

And that's basically it as far as maintaining my brows. I hope I covered everything and didn't leave anything out. If you guys have any questions or anything, leave a comment and I'll get back to you!

In my last and final installment in my "All About Eyebrows" series, I'll cover finally how I fill in my brows. (:

A Different Type of FOTD Post

2011-02-11T21:48:00.003-05:00

In my last FOTD, I talked about how I was getting tired of doing the same type of look over and over again, so I decided to try and spark my imagination and try a different type of application with my eyeshadows. I ended up doing a cut crease look (I know, I know, not very imaginative). This is what I came up with:

USED:

NARS Smudgeproof e/s primer
MAC Soft Ochre paint pot (as a base)
Revlon Matte e/s in Vintage Lace (in tear duct)
Wet n' Wild Pride Palette - shimmery green e/s (on inner part of lid)
MAC Shimmermoss e/s (applied on middle/center of the lid)
Stars Makeup Haven Ultra Violet e/s (shimmery violet on outer third of lid)
MUFE # 92 e/s (outer v and used to cut crease)
MAC Vanilla pigment (on lower lashline)
MAC Era e/s (to highlight)
MAC Blacktrack fluidline
L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara
Bonne Belle Eye Definer e/l in Glow (on waterline)

MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW30 (on undereye circles)
MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Medium Plus
NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny (to contour)
NARS Deep Throat blush

Rimmel Moisture Renew l/s in Nude Delight
Annabelle Lip Shine in Breathless

I really liked the colour combination, but I wasn't too happy with the application as far as the eyeshadows go. I felt like my cut crease wasn't crisp enough, and it kind of made the distinction between the eyeshadows on my lid vs. the cut crease sloppy.

Also, I'm not sure if it's the base I used, but I noticed that the Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadow I used faded pretty quickly, and also contributed to the whole application to look like I'd been wearing it for hours.

You can see what I'm talking about more clearly in the photos below:

I wanted to share those photos with you, because I know when I'm taking pictures to do FOTD's for my blog, I try to choose a flattering photo of me and my make-up. Photos that make my makeup look top notch and flawless (which it *always* is - haha, I wish) -- but there are times where a look doesn't turn out how I'd like it to. Either my eyeshadows don't apply how I'd like them to, or my application is completely out of wack. Get what I mean?

It's kind of like, in photos my make-up might look flawless and beautifullllll, but in real life, it looks completely different - and I'm not talking about the colours and shades and hues, but more of my eyeshadows aren't blended seamlessly or my eyeshadows are creasing like crazy.

I'm really rambling, and probably not making sense, but I hope you get the jist of what I'm trying to say?

I don't wear contacts anymore, and most of the time my makeup gets lost behind my glasses, so it wasn't so bad.

All About Eyebrows: Part 1 - History of my Brows

2011-02-03T10:16:00.007-05:00

A while back I received a question on my Formspring requesting me to do an eyebrow tutorial. At first, I was never planning to do a tutorial because it seems like everyone does it basically the same way, and my way was definitely not unique - but then I decided I wanted to do a two part series, explaining how I fill them in and how I maintain them, because I feel like that's just as important.

I thought I'd start off by telling you my "history" of my eyebrows:

I have really thick & bushy brows. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any photos, so you're just going to have to believe me on that one (lol). During the summer of 9th grade, I kept bothering my mom about having my eyebrows done - till that point I had always gone au naturel. However, in Afghan culture, a girl doesn't get her eyebrows done until she's married. So with my mom wanting to adhere to some Afghan customs, she was weary about having me get them done.

Finally, she had given in and off we went to the local eyebrow threader. I opted to get my eyebrows threaded because, it was cheap, and well, it was what my mom did to her eyebrows.

We went to the place, and my mom's "regular" person wasn't there, but another lady was. My mom told me I shouldn't get my eyebrows done by her because she always messed hers up, but I was too stubborn and too excited to care. I was nervous at the same time. So off I went to lay down on a table, and the lady went to work.

After about 5-10 minutes, I got up, took a quick glance in the mirror, my mom payed (it was $3.00 CDN), and we set off to go home.

On my whole way back, I was nervous to run to a mirror and see exactly up close how they turned out.

Once I got home, I was horrified.

I looked completely different. I think it was the shock of having such a small change done to my eyebrows and how it made such a difference to my whole face. Every time I looked in the mirror for like, 2 weeks after, I was surprised by how I looked.

And both my eyebrows looked completely different from each other. I swear I immediately regretted it, cursing myself for not listening to my mom and getting my eyebrows done by that certain lady.

One was circular, and one was square. I kid you not. My mom tried to console and assure me that nobodies eyebrows looked exactly the same. But I wasn't having it.

I was constantly asking people, "Do my eyebrows look different?" and nobody could tell the difference unless I pointed it out to them, I was that paranoid.

Anyways, what I ended up doing was changing my part and where my bangs lay so they covered the circular eyebrow that I hated.

As far as thickness and length and all that go, she didn't really thin them out too much (which I was happy for, because I think it would be way more traumatic if she had given me thinner eyebrows) and she didn't cut off any length. Basically, she cleaned them up and followed my natural shape.

From then on, whenever I went to get my eyebrows done, I'd always say before they got to work, "I want them just cleaned up, I don't want them any thinner or to change the shape, except I was this eyebrow more square, like this" and I pointed to my "I-like-this-one-better" brow and depicted with my finger how I wanted the circular brow to change and be like the squarer brow.

I hope I make sense and I haven't lost you guys yet. :P

Overtime, they started become more alike, but I realized eventually that nobodies two eyebrows were exactly the same - and that was what everyone told me. "Eyebrows are more like sisters, not twins."

Up until now, I've been threading my eyebrows. You can learn more about threading on my post here.

One of the reason I've stopped going to get my eyebrows threaded is because I'm happy with how my brows are right now, and I get weary when I go and get my eyebrows done because I'm putting myself in the hands of someone else, and that can be nerve wracking.

In my next post, I'll talk to you and explain how I maintain my brows exactly, what products I use, some problems that I have and all that jazz.

In the meantime, I'd love to know your "brow story." When was the first time you had gotten your eyebrows done (whether you started doing them yourself or getting them done by someone else) I'd love to know if anyone had a dramatic experience as I thought I had.