Archives for June 2018

I look back on photos taken as recently as 3 years ago and *cringe*. My eyebrows were overplucked and unruly and just downright sad. You might assume I would have taken matters into my own hands to fix such issues, but nope. I pretty much let them be. Every now and then I would get them waxed at my local nail salon by whichever technician was around and shrug my shoulders in indifference when they turned out too thin or uneven. For whatever reason, I never considered my eyebrows to be an important feature on my face – one that made any difference. But oh how wrong I was. 

Fast forward a few years and full bushy brows are all the rage {thank you Cara Delevingne!} It’s like I all of a sudden woke up and realized I even had eyebrows. They were crazy looking, and I was perplexed how I had let them get to that state. Is this how our parents feel when they look back on themselves in the 80’s?? I knew I needed help!

Thankfully, Sephora swooped in and saved the day. They carry an array of products across numerous brands that help those of us who aren’t naturally blessed. I stopped plucking, and I invested both my time and energy in learning which products worked best {and trust me, I tried nearly everything}. Today I’m going to share with you my favorite brow products and what I do to get a full, natural looking brow on a daily basis.

As you can see, even without any product, my brows look so much different than they did a few years ago. The first thing I did was let them grow out. I then went to a brow professional {read more about my brow guru here} who gave me guidance and helped shape them for me. If you don’t live in Dallas, don’t fret. Sephora actually offers the a makeover service which can do the same thing!Just head to your local Sephora and your brows will thank you {I promise}. Sometimes, after years of plucking, it takes some coaxing for hairs to grow back and to this day, I am still working on growing hairs out in certain areas! But in the meantime, you gotta have great products and just fake it til ya make it!

My favorite brow products. From top: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil, Tom Ford Brow Sculptor, and Benefit’s Gimme Brow Eyebrow Gel

Tom Ford’s Brow Sculptor & Benefit’s Goof Proof have a thicker tip which allows you to make a thicker, wider stroke. I like that these pencils go from thin to wide and make filling in your brow easy. On the other hand, The Brow Wiz from Anastasia has a very skinny tip that creates fine, hair-like strokes. This pencil is ideal for places where your arches may be bare or over-tweezed {aka my brows in 2014 – and still slightly today!}

Before I apply any product to the brows, I use the grooming brush to straighten the brow hairs. This gives me an idea for how & where I can shape my brows.

Right now I’m loving the Anastasia Brow Wiz because the fine point allows me to easily outline and shape my brow. With that being said, I alternate between the Tom Ford, Benefit and Anastasia depending on the day & what I’m feeling. The front end of my brow has recovered from 2014 a little faster than the tail end, so I spend most of my energy drawing in that shape and filling it in. I don’t hold back in applying product because the next step will help remove any excess product.

Once filled in, I go back through my brow with the spooley end of the pencil. Brush this through your brow to remove any excess product, evenly blend color and tame hairs.

Last but not least {I told you my brow routine was only 2 steps!} is crucial to my eyebrow routine. As I mentioned before, my brow hairs can be unruly, and often flip up at the end {this drives me crazy.} The Gimme Brow contains tiny microfibers that adhere to my skin and brow hairs, making it easy to tame, tint, and volumize the look of your brows. The gel hardens slightly and helps keep my brows in place throughout the day.

And there you have it. My simple, 2-step process to getting a fuller natural brow. As long as you have a good pencil {my favs are below}, and Benefit’s Gimme Brow, you will be well on your way to better looking brows. Sephora has an incredible selection of brow pencils, powders, highlighters and anything else your heart can imagine so you can also have the best version of your brows too.

My brows still aren’t perfect, but they have come a longggggg way and I’m happy with that! I’ve come to understand that the eyebrows define your face and your overall look so they’re actually extremely important. And taking care of them is important as well! Figuring out what products work for you can be a process, but hopefully my favorites have helped you narrow the hundreds of options down to a few! I’ve included those, along with my other everyday make-up must-haves below.

Do you have any any favorite brow products? Have you tried or used any of the products that I love & mentioned above? Let me know in the comments! Can’t wait to hear. xx

photos: The Retro Penguin

thank you to Sephora for sponsoring this post!

I can’t tell you how often I’m asked by readers about my at-home microneedling routine. Do I like it? Have I noticed a difference in my skin? Is the GloPro worth it, or can I get by with a cheaper alternative? If you don’t know, microneedling is a beauty technique that has been around for years, but that has just started to gain traction amongst the beauty obsessed. I bought my first microneedling tool off of Amazon for $12 back in the Fall. After a few months, I was gifted the GloPro Microneedling Regeneration Tool by Beauty Bioscience, truly the best microneedling tool on the market. Before I let you in on my opinion of the GloPro specifically, let’s break down what microneedling actually claims to do!

WHAT IS MICRONEEDLING

Microneedling helps stimulate collagen production by rolling tiny needles over the surface of the skin. These needles create ‘microtears’ or microscoptic wounds to the skin which trigger the body’s repair functions to create new skin cells. Microneedling is supposed to help with wrinkles, fine lines and even stretch marks. The needles in the tool are designed to reach the bottom layer of the epidermis which allows the product to travel through the surface level of the skin. Our skin is naturally designed to keep things out, which is great 99% of the time. It’s just the 1% where we actually want the products on our skin to penetrate – If our products can’t properly absorb, they just aren’t going to work. The microneedling tool aids the skin in this absorption process allowing the ingredients to better penetrate the first few layers of skin.  Additionally, for the GloPro specifically, a red LED light feature has been added to help stimulate cell growth, increase blood flow, and promote collagen. This is seen as a major benefit to this tool in particular.

DOES IT WORK

The real question is, does it work? Well, I definitely believe that the tool helps with ingredient absorption. That part seems like a no brainer. The tiny punctures in your skin open it up, allowing your product to pass through. It feels good knowing that your skin is actually going to absorb the products you put on it, rather just lay on the surface of your skin. This is especially comforting when using expensive products – no one wants those washed down the drain! I also believe the red LED light is beneficial – my facialist at Joanna Czech always raves about the use of LED light, and any quick google search will confirm it’s importance with beauty. However, I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’ve seen major changes in my skin – yet. I don’t have any before and after photos to share that will shock you, or any stories of how my skin dramatically changed after using the tool. But, I will tell you that I think it’s doing exactly what it says it’s will -I just don’t think that magic is going to happen overnight. I think if you believe in the tool, and what it can do for your skin over time, you have to trust in the process and trust that it is working wonders that aren’t always visible to the naked eye. Plus, even if it isn’t stimulating collagen growth, or reducing fine lines, then at the very least it is opening your skin up to allow more products in. I’m not a dermatologist, or a skincare professional of any kind, but that alone is worthwhile to me.

HOW TO USE

First, I start by cleansing my face with the ultra gentle Glossier Milky Jelly cleanser. This cleanser is so gentle and removes all make up and product from the skin leaving it feeling fresh & clean.

Next, I apply my Lotion P50W with a cotton pad {the only step in my beauty routine I do before the microneedling!} Once the P50 has soaked in, I then gently roll the GloPRO in each direction 3-4 times over each area on my face – forehead, cheeks, lips, chin & neck. I always make sure to lightly roll over my crows feet and the lines around my mouth as well.There is also a body attachment head which makes it easy to target larger areas of the body. The entire process probably takes me 1-2 minutes, and is relatively painless {the needles are only .3mm!} With that being said, I only use my GloPro at night since it does leave my skin looking a little red.

Next, I spritz down the tool with alcohol. I want to make sure it is completely sterilized after using so it bacteria free and ready to use for the next time.

Lastly, I follow with my nighttime skincare routine. I want to try and apply my products while the channels in my skin are still open and ready to absorb.

IS IT WORTH IT

Lastly, I’m always asked is if the GloPro is worth it. It retails for $199, so it is considerably more expensive than other microneedles on the market. My honest answer is: yes an no. Yes, I believe the tool is worth it if you are already a microneedling pro, who values at home LED light therapy, in addition to a 3x+ per week microneedling routine. If you fall into this category, and have been eyeing the tool, I say go for it!  As I mentioned before, The GloPro is the best at-home microneedle on the market, and a much more high quality tool that will last a lot longer than the cheaper alternatives on Amazon.

As for those who are new to microneedling, and unsure, I would suggest holding off on the GloPro and instead recommend the purchase of a much less expensive option to try out first {I used this one!}  $200 is a lot of money, and you don’t want to waste that on something you aren’t going to use!

Regardless of which option you chose, I encourage you to give this simple at home beauty routine a try! It’s super easy, painless and could have amazing results for your skin! Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever considered microneedling, or if you’re already a pro! And as always, let me know if you have any questions 🙂