Grow your brows with Castor Oil!

Castor Oil

Castor oil is a highly emollient oil, often used in lipsticks and other beauty aids. Castor oil is the perfect skin care product as it is naturally rich in anti-oxidants and works as a deep conditioner to heal both skin and hair. Because of castor oil's healing qualities, it is often use to soothe skin disorders such as eczema and psoriasis and can help to thicken hair and reduce hair loss.  

(Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_2126679_use-castor-oil-as-beauty.html)

Castor Oil for the Brows has a 4.3/5 rating on makeupalley.com, with a 87% re-purchase rate based on 174 reviews. (click here to read reviews)

I purchased my Castor Oil at Whole Foods for less than $5. It doesn't have any real scent/odor, it sort of smells like plastic to me. It's extremely thick like molasses, so you only need a small drop. A little goes a long way. You can use a cotton swab or a spoolie to apply it. A spoolie works a little better for me because my brows are thick, but for those of you with very sparse brows, a cotton swab is the way to go. Apply it every night to your brows, and cross your fingers for thicker brows in the near future.

My natural brows are coarse and thick (my middle eastern genes). I have to trim them every couple of weeks, otherwise the hair would be too long and unruly. I also have to pluck my strays every other day because they grow quickly. When I was younger, I had very large/full brows and at around 13 years old, I shaved them very thin. Although my brows do grow quickly, they aren't at all as "full" as they were before. The hairs never seem to grow in the areas I want them to. Neither of my brows match, and I rely on my side bangs to camouflage the fact that one of my brows is slightly higher than the other. Of course, I fill my brows in, so it's something I always correct, but if they filled in a little bit more, it would be easier to match both brows.

My left brow is slightly higher is also shorter than my right. Although you can't tell because my nose isn't pictured, my right brow reaches the side of my nose as it should, and my left brow is about .5 cm short. The hair doesn't at all grow past that, so I always have to color it in farther, or tweeze my right brow to match. 

Anyway, I'm hoping that with the daily use of Castor Oil, my brows will fill in a little bit more, so I only have to fill them in very minimally. 

I am going to use pour a little oil in a small travel container and apply it to my brows every night. I will keep you updated how well the progress goes. If the progress is minimal, I'll post every two weeks. If I see a difference, I'll be posting every week. So, I'll see how it goes. If you want to keep track of my progress, you can always message me on twitter! (Click here to follow me) 

Castor Oil is a very versatile oil, and can be used for many things. I'm going to try using it as a deep conditioner for my hair as well at least once a week. I tried it out a couple of months back on my hair, and it really seemed to work well. It can be used on any dry areas, blemishes and on your scalp for thinning hair.

Have you used Castor Oil for any beauty purpose? Share your experience in the comments below!

Review: MAC Brow Set + Comparisons!

MAC Brow Set. Left: Show-off, Right: Girl Boy

Left: Girl Boy, Right: Show-off

Product Description: A brush-on gel that strokes brows into shape. Adds shine and style. No flaking or stiffening. Tinted or clear. Also grooms lashes, sideburns and facial hair. 

Available in four (4) shades: Clear, Girl Boy (Fawn blonde), Beguile (Full-bodied taupe) and Show Off (Rich brown). 

8g/0.28 oz - $15.00

Left: Show-off, Right: Girl Boy

MAC Brow Set is an absolute "Holy Grail" product for me, and it's a product you don't really hear much about. I'm not sure where I originally heard about it, but I know it was a product I stumbled upon on accident. I'm pretty sure I received it in a swap, with no real aspiration to have it. It ended up being a product that's a part of my daily "routine" for well over a year now and I don't ever like to go without it!

I've never really been a brow gel type gal. Although brow gel should of been a necessity for me as I have long, coarse brows that are quite unruly - unless they are freshly trimmed. I never really liked the way brow gels made my brows look. Most of the time they made my brows literally look like I have gel in them.. yuck! Clear mascara doubles as a brow gel, but I liked to particularly avoid it all together. What actually worked the best for me was good old fashioned hairspray.

Yep! Just spritz a little hair spray on a clean spoolie and comb it through your brows. Those babies aren't going anywhere all day. You just have to be careful not to apply too much or you'll feel the stiffness every time you move your brows. haha!

Now, although my brows are coarse, they have no shape. Therefore, I have to resort to filling them in every day. Of course, I always try to find a brow filler that matches my brow color to the "T", but because my brows are so dark, when I fill them in, they sometimes look a little too dark, too harsh. And, depending what product I use, the "filler" is sometimes detectable. What I love about Brow Set is, because it's tinted, it will lightly coat your brow hairs with the tint, and it instantly blends everything together. Your brow hairs and your filler, that is! I like using Show-off when my hair is dark brown and Girl Boy when my hair is any lighter. Girl Boy looks a little scary in the tube, but you can control how much you want applied. My natural hair is dark brown, but it fades naturally to a medium brown with coppery-auburn tones. When it usually reaches that point, I dye my hair dark. But, while my hair is light and my brows are dark, Girl Boy Brow Set lightens my brows to match my hair color better - no bleach necessary. It also is great for when my hair is highlighted.

These tinted Brow Gels are great for those of you who change your hair color often and your brows don't always match, you have gray/white hairs in your brows that need covering up, if your brows are light and need darkening, if you don't want to bleach your brows, etc.

The formula is also fantastic. It has a distinct scent.. flowers for sure, but can't put my finger on which in particular. Also, it doesn't make my brows look "gelled" and it keeps my brows in place very well. Also, I've had my tube of Girl Boy for at least a year and it's still running strong.

Like mentioned, Brow Set is available in 4 different shades (one being clear) to match light, medium and dark hair. I wish there were a couple of more "in between" shades, but the colors are versatile. I'd also like to purchase Beguile sometime in the future.

Swatches of Show-off (top) and Girl Boy (bottom).

Both Brow Sets applied to my brows after they've been filled in with MAC Espresso eyeshadow.

There are also similar products out there.. not mentioning brown mascaras.

Left to Right: ELF Eyebrow Treat & Tame in Dark, ELF Eyebrow Treat & Tame in Medium and Revlon Brow Fantasy in Brunette.

I think the ELF Treat & Tames are awesome, and I use them just as often as I use my MAC Brow Set. Plus, they are only $3 each and most of the time ELF has 50% off sales. The difference is that MAC Brow Set is much more pigmented and it holds the brows in place better. Still, great product and will re-purchase again. (View past review here)

Now, the Revlon Brow Fantasy. Eeeeeh. Not a big fan. The pencil works fine, but the tinted brow gel is useless for being tinted. It's so sheer that it does absolutely nothing.. it may as well be clear. 

Here are swatches of all products mentioned..

Top to Bottom: MAC Show-off Brow Set, MAC Girl Boy Brow Set, ELF Eyebrow Treat & Tame in Dark, ELF Eyebrow Treat & Tame in Medium & Revlon Brow Fantasy in Brunette.

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think about them? Let me know in the comments below!

Tutorial: Create Natural, Defined Brows with a Creme Product! (I'm using MUFE Brow Corrector)

Hey Everyone!

It's been a couple of days since my last post.. I haven't been able to get on the computer much.. so forgive me for not getting back to formspring questions and e-mails. I'll be getting to them after I finish posting.

I wanted to do a post on how I use the Make Up Forever Brow Corrector, as I know many people are interested in trying the product but don't know how to use it. You can obviously improvise if you don't have the MUFE Brow Corrector and use any brow pencil or creme liner. I have read that some people use MAC Dipdown Fluidline or MAC Quite Natural Paint Pot as a brow filler. It may seem odd to you that creme liners can be used for your brows, but applied sparingly with a light hand you can end up with beautiful brows that are natural looking and won't budge all day. Pencils that work well are ones that you can sharpen to a good point that aren't too soft or retractable "crayon" liners such as MAC Brows or Maybelline's Define-a-Brow. "Crayon" consistency brow pencils work very well because they don't smudge as easily as pencils, the formula is pigmented (but not overpowering) and the consistency is dryer than regular eye pencils, which is essential for creating natural brows.

Tools I'll be using in this tutorial

1) Coastal Scents Precision Angled Liner Brush

2) E.L.F Studio Eyebrow Treat & Tame

3) MAKE UP FOREVER Brow Corrector #3

A closer look at the brush I'm using. It's a good brush and it's only a little over $2. You can view the product info here. (I have no affiliation to Coastal Scents)

I am using a small eyeliner brush that is bent so you it's easier to apply liner and make precise lines. (For those of you who have never seen this type of brush, I purchased it this way.. I did not bend it myself) I prefer this particular brush for the brows because the tip is short, dense and comes to a point. I can make very precise lines with it. If you don't have a specific liner brush, an angled brow brush can work too.. the thinner the tip is, the better. I am using the ELF Treat & Tame to "set" my brows. It is a brown colored (sheer) mascara for your brows. It adds a tiny bit of color to your brows so your natural brows will blend in with the parts you filled in. It also will keep your brows in place so they are all going in the same direction. MAC has a similar product called "Brow Set" which is a product I love as well!

• If necessary, tweeze & trim your brows and/or stray hairs as you normally would. 
  

• It's your preference if you like to apply foundation before or after your brows, but I usually do my brows last. It's much easier in my opinion. If you have oily skin or tend to get an oily t-zone. Set the area with powder so your brows won't get shiny or smear throughout the day. 

Step 1: (If you are using MUFE Brow Corrector) Dab a tiny bit of product onto a clean surface. If you are using a potted creme liner, you can dip your brush directly into the product. Make sure to dab it off on a clean surface or the inside of the lid so you don't apply too much product in an area at once.

Step 2: Line the underside of your brow. Follow the shape of your brow. This area should be the most precise as it is where your brows would normally be waxed, tweezed or threaded. The top of your brow is where it's supposed to look the most natural.

Step 3: Dip your brush in the product again. Wipe off any excess. You don't want your brush to be very coated in product. Look at your brows in the mirror and decide where you would like to begin. I typically fill my brows in starting at the beginning. With the tip of the brush, you want to create small, thin lines to give the illusion of brow hair. Whatever spots you wish you had more hair in, draw small lines in the same direction as your hair. Don't use very much pressure - you want the tip just touching/grazing your skin. You want thin lines that aren't too dark. You want it to blend in well with your actual brow hairs. You can practice on your hand first.

Step 4: After you've followed the top line of your natural brow, you want to accentuate your arch. Draw a small line above your natural arch in the direction of your hair growth, and connect your brows (still using the same technique) from where you left off in Step 3 to the highest point of your arch. It should look very natural.

Step 5: With any excess brown pigment from the product left over on your brush, go over your brows to darken any areas that need it. The end of your brow should be the lightest as you have the least hairs there. If it needs to be extended, do this with the residue on your brush.

Step 6: Comb your brows in place with a spoolie, clear mascara or tinted brow mascara to set your brows.

My brow looks very arched in this photo because of the angle I took the picture. Don't worry they aren't that triangular.. LOL

• If necessary, take a small concealer brush with your favorite concealer and outline your brow and then blend it into your skin to cover up any mistakes, or if you made your brows too thick.

• Add a shimmery highlight under your arch to make your brows look even more polished!

I hope your found this post helpful, and if you have any questions.. make sure to post them below!

Review: ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit & Eyebrow Treat & Tame + Swatches & Photos!

I have a couple more reviews of ELF Studio products for you tonight!

Considering I haven't tried any ELF makeup prior to my recent order, I really had no idea what to purchase. So I basically purchased items that had the highest ratings. The "Eyebrow Kit" is rated 4.5/5 stars based on 300+ ratings and the "Eyebrow Treat & Tame" is rated 4/5 stars based on 100+ reviews. I love experimenting with new brow products, so I thought I'd give them a try.

I purchased the Eyebrow Kit in the shade "Medium" and the Treat & Tame in the shades Medium and Dark.

ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit contains a colored wax on one side and a brow powder on the other side as well as a small double sided taklon brush that has a rounded side for filling in and an angled side for defining. The kit comes in four (4) different shades. Light, Medium, Dark and Ash. All shades can be viewed here. In the shade Medium, the wax is dark brown and the powder is a chestnut brown. Luckily, it matched my brows very good. The consistency of the wax is not thick or cakey like other brow waxes I have tried in the past. It has just the right amount of pigment.. It applies very lightly and natural & is not at all harsh or overpowering. The brow powder is also very nice. Again, it is not too pigmented and harsh. The two work great together. I have used the brush and it works fine, but for my personal preference, I like to use a full sized brush. I used Coastal Scents Divine Taklon liner brush. I really liked the outcome.

ELF Studio Treat & Tame is a double sided tube that contains a vitamin infused gel that is formulated to "stimulate" hair follicles to re-grow & thicken your brows and the other side is a tinted brow mascara that is infused with fibers so it will grip to your brows and keep them in place. So you've got your treat and your tame. The Treat & Tame comes in four (4) different shades. Light, Medium, Dark and Ash. You can view all of the shades here. As mentioned before, I purchased Medium and Dark. I purchased both because I couldn't find any swatches of the shades to see what they really look like. I was pleased to see that neither shades have any reddish/orange tints to them. The dark brown is like a milk chocolate brown and the medium is simply a shade lighter. I was hoping this was going to be something like MAC's Brow Set.. and I am pleased to say that it is somewhat similar. MAC's Brow Set is much more thick and pigmented though. I always have to wipe off the applicator to make sure I don't apply too much. With the Treat & Tame, it's somewhere in between. It's not tinted for no reason ( like Revlon's Brow Fantasy has a tinted mascara on one side and a pencil on the other.. and the mascara adds absolutely no color to the brows. It may as well be clear). It's pigmented enough to tint my brows to match my brow powder. This gives a better overall, natural look to my brows. Another product I am very pleased with. I haven't actually used the Treat side, and I'm not sure if I will.. but I may just to see if it does anything. 

I used Dark in this photo and it's what I have been using. It matches my hair very well.

Overall, these products worked great for me.. and you can't beat the $3 price tag!

As always, I hope this post was useful for you! And, if any of you have tried these products.. post your thoughts in the comments! :)

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with ELF. I was not paid or compensated in any way for this review. I paid for this product myself and as always, my reviews are honest and are based on my personal experience in using the product.

Tutorial: How I fill in my Eyebrows + Swatches *Pic Heavy*

Products I used in this tutorial:
Spoolie Brush, Revlon Brow Scissors, Eyebrow Razor, Angled Eye liner Brush, MAC Cork & Espresso Eye shadows, MAC Studio Finish Concealer, MAC #194 Concealer Brush, MAX Factor Clear Mascara, Anastasia of Beverly Hills Highlighting Brow Kit (My highlight color)


Step 1 & 2 is only necessary if you have sparse brows like myself. :)



The following are optional. I usually like to start off with a lighter color and then go over them a little with a darker color. Cork is slightly lighter than the actual color of my brows. Espresso is just about the same shade, but sometimes looks too harsh on its own.





I hope you found this tutorial helpful!

In addition, here are some swatches of some brow products I own. I couldn't for the life of me find my MAC Brow Crayon in the shade Spiked.


The only pencil I really don't like out of the bunch swatched is the NYC pencil. It is VERY creamy and goes on clumpy. I prefer a drier textured pencil for my brows. All of the others I like and use depending on the shade of my hair. My favorites remain MAC Espresso & Cork, Maybelline Define a Brow & MAC Eyebrow Crayon.

Review: Anastasia Beverly Hills Highlighting Brow Kit + Photos & Swatches!

Anastasia Beverly Hillshttp://www.anastasia.net/

"Flawless, fabulous coverage for brows and lids. Our uniquely blended terracotta baked trio is perfect wet or dry, on brows, or an all-over eye highlighter. Known to calm, soothe and soften skin our exclusive Balkan Botanical™ Infusion contains rare plant and herb extracts found only in the rich soil of Romania. Open your eyes to how good real beauty can feel." - Anastasia.net

(Click on the photo for a larger view)

This awesome little kit comes with a trio of baked brow powders in 3 shades, a baked highlighter/eyeshadow trio in 3 shades and a mini brow gel. The brow Trio includes a light golden ash brown (suitable for blondes), lightbrown/taupe (a universal shade from redheads to medium brunettes) & a med/dark brown (suitable for darker hair shades). The Highlighting Trio includes a shimmery/frosted white with a hint of silver, a shimmery light golden and a shimmery copper.







Product Swatches:
(Click the photo for a larger view)
(Click the photo for a larger view)

Beauty Tip: "Apply baked brow powder (wet or dry) with a brush following the natural shape of your brow. Apply highlighting powder with any eyeshadow crease brush along the brow bone to create a higher arch" - Anastasia.net

I absolutely love this kit! The brow powders are so soft and give such a natural appearance. I really like the way it makes my brows look. I've tried several brow powders and many of them apply too heavy and then I end up having to go over them with Q-tips to soften the color.. but that didn't happen with this powder for me. I would recommend this if you like your eye brows to look natural and especially if your brows are very light and you'd like to darken and define them. I use actually all of the shades and they work for me. I've been applying the brow powder with my MAC 266 brush and the colors I've been using is the darkest one with a touch of the lightest one (since I have golden tones in my hair). You can also dip your brush in water and apply the powder for a less soft/more defined look. I usually use the brush very slightly damp so i can define the outline of my brows. I finish with the brow gel to keep my brows in place.

Anastasia Brow Powders have a rating of 4.5/5 with an 82% re-purchase rate based on 134 reviews. Click here to view the reviews.

As for the highlighting trio.. I love these. These are my type of eye shadow shades. When it comes to shimmery shadows.. it depends solely on preference. You either love them or hate them. I personally really like shimmery shadows.. especially golds. These are very pigmented applied wet or dry. I usually use them dry.. I like using the white color as a highlight in the corner of my eyes and I like to gently tap on the color and tap it on my brow bone to add a little dimension. My favorite of the three colors is the gold. I've been sweeping a light dusting of it on my eyelids most days out of the week.

Disclaimer: I was sent these products for free for personal review. I was not paid to write this review. This is my honest opinion based on my personal experience. I am in no way affiliated with Anastasia Beverly Hills.

NYX Dark Brown Eyeshadow, a great brow filler!

 
NYX Dark Brown is a medium-dark, milk chocolate matte brown. It has a slight warm yellow undertone, as opposed to a red undertone that you may find in some brow powders. This works great with my hair color and would work well for anyone with light to medium brown hair. For those with black hair, you may want a color that is slightly deeper. 

I've been using it almost everyday along with my Make up Forever Brow Corrector. It is the perfect shade of ash brown. The consistency is a little powdery, and it is pigmented, but it's not too pigmented (where it makes your brows look painted on.) So when applied, it isn't harsh. It applies light and natural like a brow powder would.

Plus, it's inexpensive and will last you a long, long time. I would compare this to MAC Espresso, one of my favorites for filling my brows.  

Here's a swatch on my hand..

NYX Dark Brown. Left: Photo taken indoors with sunlight. Right: Photo taken with indoors with flash.

 

Review: MAKE UP FOREVER Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector

Make Up Forever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector
click here to view the product on Sephora.com

What it does: Fills, defines, and intensifies brows with natural-looking, stay-put color. The result remains flawless throughout the day and holds up under all conditions (water, heat, etc).






This tiny bit was enough for both of my brows.

It comes in 4 shades:


Swatches of #3. You can control how light or dark you want it to be. The more product you apply, the darker your brows will be.


REVIEW: I was skeptical about this product since its a cream, I thought it may look painted on. But when I made my weekly trip to Sephora, and swatched it on my wrist, I knew I had to buy it. I asked one of the girls about it and she said it's the only thing she uses to fill in her brows and she loves it.. her brows looked really good and really natural. She matched me to #3 which is the absolute perfect match. You only need the teeniest tiniest bit to fill in both brows. When it dries, it dries to a matte.. and it looks like pencil.. it doesn't look at all like it was a liquid. You can control how light or dark, soft or harsh you want your brows. It very easy to work with and it doesn't dry like paint.. so you can keep blending it to make it look more natural. This is my new favorite method of filling in my brows. They look so perfect and they don't budge all day long.. and its waterproof! I'm so happy with this! If anyone is looking for something new, definitely give this a try. Especially if you have oily skin or you live somewhere where hot and you have a problem with your brows melting off! haha. It is $19 for .16 oz, but to me it's absolutely worth it.