All things brows today! I haven't really ever talked about brows on my blog all that much. They are still super important when completing any look. Nowadays, filling in brows has been emphasized across the beauty guru land (the internet) and now I can never forget to make my brows look #onfleek. I think doing your brows can help to really frame your face and sculpt it out as well. Brow sculpting (along with all other makeup skills and things) is an art and it takes a lot of time to get right. So, how can you mess up filling in your brows? Many ways. I'm here to give you guys some tips and helpful products for some of you struggling to master your "perfect brows". 

I'm no brow expert but, I have learned a lot through years of waxing and plucking my big uni-brow (since fifth grade) the rights and wrongs of all things brows. I have over plucked, over waxed, and have over filled my brows enough to know what is right for me. I can't speak for everyone because every body has unique brows but, I hope this helps you guys achieve what you want your own brows to look like!

1) Brows are Sisters not Identical Twins

First things first, assessing your brow type is the first step to doing your brows. Knowing the natural shape of your brows can help you prevent any mishaps in the future. Not all brows are the same, and your right brow might be a little bit more arched or thinner than your left. It all depends and that's okay! You don't want to try and manipulate your brows a different way that looks totally unnatural. I have tried to pluck my brows even and ended up over plucking one of them and regretted it when I had picture day the next day. 

You can talk to a brow expert at a Benefit Brow Bar and they can help you assess your brow shape and help you get to know your brows and how to treat them. 

2) Grooming, Plucking, Waxing, and Shaping

I try to groom and do my brows every couple weeks because mine grow in super fast. Not a lot of people have this problem; since my brows are darker than a lot of peoples', I have to do it more often. If you have lighter or blonder brows, you could probably get away with doing them once a month (you're so lucky). 

Getting your brows done at a salon can be a pricey investment. Let me be honest, I have only gone twice to a Benefit Brow Bar and that was it. I have been doing my own brows since and I think it's a totally better way to spend and save my money. I get that if you are a beginner or have no intent of experimenting or trying to groom your brows, you want to just have a pro do it. And that's fine. For those of you who don't care to drop $20-$30 every couple weeks, here is what I normally use to wax and pluck my brows. 

Starter Kit:

Danielle Rose Gold Tweezers- Everyone has to have at least one pair of tweezers in their bathroom cabinet somewhere. It's just a necessity to have! I start by plucking the really obvious, stray hairs and work my way under and above both of my brows. Plucking can hurt sometimes so putting Vaseline on them before might help with the pain. Another tip that I kind of remember is that your pain tolerance after you've had your period can actually minimize the plucking pain!

Sally Hansen Hair Remover Wax Strip Kit- If you are wanting to get on the wax bandwagon then by all means, these strips are pretty much the best and easiest ways to wax! You can cut them and form them to your brows and you don't have to worry about hot wax and all the mess. Plus, it's really quick to do! Sometimes when I can't get out my whole hot waxing kit, Parissa Hot Wax is my favorite by the way, I use these little guys and they work so well! Always remember to dab a little bit of Neosporin or an antibiotic ointment to help close your pores so no bacteria gets locked in your hair follicles and around your forehead. 

I would also recommend some type of eye brow brush or Spoolie brush to help brush and shape your brows before and after you pluck or wax them. It sounds kind of weird when you have to "brush" your brows but, hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! You can find these types of brushes pretty much anywhere, too. 

3) Filling, Penciling, and Gelling

After you have shaped your brows and you want to start filling them in, there are many ways to do so. You can use brow kits, pomades, gels, pencils, and even eye shadow. 

Starter Kit:

Essence Eyebrow Designer Pencil- for only $2 this pencil is so great and easy to use for beginners. It has a little brush on the cap which is helpful when I am travelling! 

Nyx Eyebrow Cake Powder- You can use the mini slanted brush to define your brows with one of the two powders or even mix the two for a natural shade. Then I go back to set them with the mini round brush and the little wax pot in the kit! Also a great idea for travel. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade- Personally, out of all the Anastasia products, this is the one I love and feel like you would get the most out of. You get a pot of great brow pomade in any color that matches your brows. I bet this could last me a year or more! I have heard raves about this and it is truly amazing. Using an angled brush, lightly dip it into the pot and use small strokes to frame and define your brows! One of my favorite brow products.

Mary Kay Brow Gel- I have used this for so long to set my brows. A swipe across the brows and they never move or get messed up! There are many brow gels out there so, find the one that works best for you. 

Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Palette- Sometimes eye shadow can be a hit or miss when doing brows. For a long time when I didn't have any brow products, I would take an angled brush and find a matte brown shade that I thought would match. Eye shadow does not have a waxy formula like brow pencils, powders, or pomades so they can tend to move around on your face if you don't set it with a gel. I found that this palette has the right type of shadows if I ever wanted to just toss it into my travel bag and use it for my whole eye look.

Your "brow journey" does not have to consist of all these components; maybe just plucking your brows or using just a brow pencil works for you and that's great! Not everyone has the same brows and it's important to treat them right by doing them right so you don't make any mistakes. It's taken me a while ever since I started grooming mine but, I think I have found the right methods for my own brows. Less is more! So, start out small and pluck a little here and there or wax a little in the middle of your brows to get comfortable with it. I hope this helped any of you brow-beginners out there who have no idea where to start with their brows! 

What are some other tips you guys remember or use when doing your brows?

Xoxo, Nat

Hello everyone. Long time, no talk! It's currently the middle of my summer vacation and last week was filled with travelling and going places. This week, however, I've been home relaxing and chilling out. I could have been blogging or reviewing stuff but, I feel like everybody deserves a little "off time", if you know what I mean. I love what I do but, for the past couple months, it's been like non stop blogging and I needed a little time to refresh my brain a bit. I want my writing to be honest as well as sincere and actually good to what I think you guys would be interested in reading. I also don't want to forget that what I write is what I want to write about, too! 

I am back on schedule and ready to share some great posts very soon. Since I have had a bit of time to think about blogging ideas, I wanted to stress the importance of balancing your life and taking breaks every so often. It's not like I'm a workaholic because I don't really have a full-time job and blogging is still my passionate hobby but, I am human. I have things to do and get done like everyone else in this world does. I have been going through a ton of stuff in my house to get ready for a big garage sale we are having next week. I have flipped my house upside down and cleaned out everything that needed to be cleaned! Doesn't it feel so good to just get rid of junk that's been in your closets for so long? 

I consider myself a very busy person and I think a lot of people can relate to that. So, even though I am still not really done preparing for the sale yet, I have been chilling out and making time for things like yoga, watching movies with friends, and just chilling out with my pup! I have been doing this "Summer Challenge" that my yoga studio has been advertising since the beginning of June. You have to do 40 classes in 90 days and you will receive a $40 gift card to buy any of their merchandise and a t-shirt! So far I have 26 classes down and 14 to go. Little things like that keep me motivated especially during the summer. When I was gone I couldn't do yoga, so this week I have been going nonstop! Something that was very needed after a junk food filled vacation. 

It's not very exciting but, I think a break and a yoga detox is well deserved considering all the travelling and the fact that school is almost around the corner...(ugh don't get me started). I wish I had the luscious, tropical, summer vacation that some seem to have but, sometimes a stay-cation can be a whole lot better (and it really is). Travelling is fun and tiring at the same time because you're going to and from places and you have to haul a ton of stuff with you; it can be chaotic sometimes.

It feels good to be back, though. I am back to my creative and productive self! It's great to take a break and do nothing. I think it's an important thing to take some personal time off and relax. Balancing your work with personal time and family time can really help relieve stress and also bring newer and better ideas when you come back to work or even your blog! 

Get ready for some great posts next week and my regular schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am taking it all back in day by day and easing into the blogging right now so one post this week will do to catch you all up! What are some ways you guys like to balance your busy lives? Are there things you do to help relieve the stress? Let me know!

Xoxo, Nat  

I tend to be a little more creative with my looks during the summer and I like to experiment with different colors, products, and so on. Since it's already like the middle of the summer (ahhhh) I have bought a lot of makeup and have gotten rid of all the old, gross stuff degenerating in my vanity. So, that means new stuff!! Woohoo. With the exception of a few other favorites that I have, I am going to share a couple new products that I have discovered and have been using to create a sultry, golden (yes, of course gold) makeup look that can be worn day or night!

The formula, pigmentation, and shadows themselves were a massive win. I think you could create more than just a golden eye look with it if you wanted to. What made it even better was that it came with it's own black eyeliner. I think that a brush could have also sufficed in the place of the liner. The end of the really creamy liner was a sponge-type tip. So, if you are looking to add some "drama" to your golden look, this would be great to smudge out your liner.

Now for brows, I have been eyeing this little guy for soooo long. I have seen the pens, the pencils, the thingamabobs but, THIS, is the real deal. I haven't seen my brows look more Cara Delevingne than ever. I'll dab a little of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Medium Brown on my angled brush and lightly go into my brows and fill them in!

I have seen all of the Anastasia products and I feel like you honestly get WAY more for your money if you buy this pomade instead of the pencils and what-not. I only used like a very small amount of it for my brows and it went a very long way. 

To finish off the eyes, I used the cult-classic Benefit They're Real Mascara to add length to my lashes. I have used this forever and have raved about it so much. It's literally a must-have for everyone's makeup collection, it's just that good.

I have been using under makeup primers a lot now and I think it's sort of necessary to use when you are out in the heat and feel like your face could almost melt off! I love the Benefit Porefessional Primer to apply under my foundation in the summer. It goes on so smooth and really covers up my pores. It smells great, too!

For my foundation, I have been obsessing over the Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream so much. I love BB creams especially in the summertime. This was a new release from Covergirl and I really enjoy using it. I might even have to do a separate post about it. Let me know if you guys would be interested in a more detailed review of their new makeup in the comments below! 

On my lips is obviously my Covergirl Katy Kat Matte Lipstick in Sphynx. I have really fallen in love with the nude lip look for summer and I think it really compliments gold. I might even wear this look to my school pictures next week. 

I mean, this look wouldn't be titled "bronze" if there wasn't any bronzer! I needed a new bronzer because I only had my Benefit Hoola one and an old Elf one. I know all of the gurus on YouTube and bloggers love the Rimmel London Natural Bronzer, and what can I say, I love it too! It's not too orange or shimmery and it leaves a really nice glow to basically any look you desire.

The classic golden look is my go-to makeup look of the summer. However, I should venture out a little more and maybe try different types of color combinations to find even more beautiful looks! Do you guys have one certain type of look you like to wear during the hot months? Let me know in the comments! 

Xoxo, Nat