My Take on Eyebrows

I have long since heard that eyebrows are an important feature of the face, as they "frame" the face and draw attention to the eyes. However, I didn't begin paying attention to my own brows until freshman year of college, where I bought my first pair of cheap drugstore tweezers. I stuck to basic upkeep by tweezing the stray hairs under my brows, careful not to over-pluck or to mess with the hairs above my brows lest I make an inexperienced mistake.

This past year, I took two bigger strides in eyebrow grooming. First, I obtained an eyebrow pencil and started learning how to fill in my brows. By using a brow pencil, I could emphasize and even out my eyebrows. Second, some of my girlfriends and I went to get our brows threaded. It was the first time I experienced threading, and not only did it not hurt for me (it depends on the individual), but the results were pretty great. I love how threading can both clean up the hairs above my brows that I normally avoid with tweezers and give my eyebrows a defined yet natural shape.

While I only plan on getting my brows threaded a couple times a year, I use several products on a daily basis to shape and fill in my eyebrows.

I recently took the plunge and bought Slice Slanted Soft-Touch Tweezers, my first pair of higher-end tweezers. I was drawn in by the ergonomic design that better accommodes the hand, the rubberized finish that improves grip, and--more shallowly--the eye-catching red color. Online reviews compare these to the popular Tweezerman tweezers, but Amazon sells the Slice ones at a lower price. There is a slight learning curve to get used to the unconventional shape, but these tweezers are indeed comfortable to hold and very precise.

e.l.f. Eyelash & Brow Wand is a great little tool for its $1 price. I use it to brush my brows into place and blend in my eyebrow pencil and wax pencil.

Lioele Artist Auto Eyebrow Pencil in #3 Gray Black has been raved about by Jen from FrmHeadToToe, who uses it in nearly all of her videos. Lioele is a Korean brand that is available in America via Pretty and Cute, but my friend bought it for me from Hong Kong, where it is cheaper. The color of this pencil is perfect for Asians, which is its biggest selling point for me. However, I also like its slanted triangular shape and twist-up mechanism. To use, I flick the pencil in small strokes, following the natural direction of my brow hairs, and concentrating the pigment in areas where my brows are sparser. Then, I blend the color in with a spoolie. The eyebrow pencil actually has a spoolie at the other end which works very well, but I prefer my e.l.f. spoolie, as it is easier to wash.

NYX Eyebrow Shaper is a wax pencil used to help keep eyebrow hairs in place. I love the convenience of this product, as it is much more easier to use than an angled brush paired with a pan of wax. I simply run the pencil across the more unruly brow hairs and then brush them into place with a spoolie. It's important to not overdo it, as brows can then look matted down by wax. Therefore, I only use the pencil in sections that need it. The jumbo pencil size is cleanly sharpened by most dual-barreled sharpeners.

Keeping my eyebrows groomed is especially important to me because I wear glasses. Filling them in helps them to better frame my face and balance out my glasses. Also, while a "good" brow shape depends on an individual's face shape and personal preferences, I prefer the youthful, fuller-looking brow, slightly thicker in front and with a slight arch. Below are two photos that illustrate the effect groomed eyebrows can have. The first is a more professional photo taken by my friend and the second is an iPhone selfie.

Credits to alison wanderland photography

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Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

After using up Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser, I thought about whether or not I should repurchase it or explore a new cleanser option. I decided to try out Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser ($10, 473 ml) as I am well aware of its cult drugstore status and high acclaim. This cleanser claims to be extremely mild and suitable for all skin types.

I had relatively high hopes for this product, but as soon as I saw its ingredients list I became disappointed. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser only contains eight ingredients, and many of them are lackluster.

Ingredients: water, cetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, stearyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben

Cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are both emollients, meaning they help keep the other ingredients intact. Propylene glycol is a humectant, which means it draws moisture from the air to the skin. Sodium lauryl sulfate  is a cleansing agent, but is prone to irritating the skin. The three parabens are preservatives.

Having analyzed the ingredients, I have a guess as to why so many people tout Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser as a great cleanser. It may be because the product doesn't do much at all. It doesn't necessarily harm the skin and is therefore seen as effective. However, it doesn't seem to benefit the skin either. I definitely appreciate that it is fragrance-free, but otherwise, I don't find Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser to be impressive at all.

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Spring 2013 Empties

Hi, I'm back from quite a hiatus. Two days ago, I took the last exam of my undergraduate college career (crazy!), and I'll be starting graduate school in the fall. I'm excited to use this summertime in between these two major chapters of my life to start blogging again. Since my last post on this blog, some things have changed for me on the beauty front, one being an increased interest and investment in skin care--a shift that I've actually observed in other beauty bloggers as well. I look forward to talking about some of my new found skin care sentiments in addition to my makeup musings. To begin, I want to share some products that I've used up in the time that I've been away--all of which happen to be skin care items.

This is the second bottle of Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting Body Lotion SPF 15 that I've used up. I like how it has a thin texture that absorbs easily into the skin. The fresh aloe scent is nice too. It contains SPF 15, which isn't enough for my face, but works for my arms and legs, which are where I primarily apply it. As of now, I'm unsure as to whether I should repurchase it again or explore a new day body lotion option.

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion is a basic, no-frills moisturizer that I use mainly at night on both my face and my body. I also use it instead of my SPF option during the day if photography happens to be involved (SPF is a no-no for photos). I like that it is very effective in its simpleness, moisturizing my skin while not feeling heavy or oily.

I'm surprised that I was able to finish Tree Hut Shea Body Butter in Hawaiian Kukui in less time than it took for me to use up my previous body butter, which was also from Tree Hut. While Hawaiian Kukui smells fine, I much prefer the Coconut Lime variation I used before, of which I have already repurchased to replace this body butter.

The final body product that I have used up is Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub in Coconut Lime. This has been a great introduction into the body scrub category, but I'm interested in checking out a different option. I find that the tub packaging is not ideal, because often water makes its way in during use, diluting the formula. Therefore, I'm hoping to find a scrub packaged in a tube, which will be easier to dispense and preserve.

I hunted down Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser after reading Nouveau Cheap's review. After using this cleanser day and night over a period of eight months, I can say that I like it okay. The formula is quite gentle, as advertised, and effectively cleans my face (although I always use a separate makeup remover to take off eye makeup). However, I do notice that my face feels a little dry after use. It is nothing my moisturizer couldn't handle, but I am a little disappointed and have questioned both my skin type (supposedly combination) and the cleanser formula. I wouldn't mind repurchasing this, but we'll see.

This is my third bottle of Target up & up Eye Makeup Remover, so on top of being inexpensive, it's pretty tried-and-true. I am excited to try the Milani makeup remover though.

I actually don't have that much to say about Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream, which I got as a sample form Sephora. I'm sure it did its job, but not to the point where I saw a noticeable difference.

I snapped up Ole Henriksen 3 Little Holiday Wonders during Sephora's Black Friday promotion. The trio includes Truth Serum (vitiman C serum), Invigorating Night Gel, and Sheer Transformation (day moisturizer). I was excited to try some higher-end skin care, and the samples contained enough product for about a month's use. I'm not super impressed. The two moisturizers' jar packaging is unsanitary and does a poor job of keeping the formulas stable, the Night Gel isn't particularly hydrating, and the Truth Serum is not a pure vitamin C serum at all (see here). For the prices that these full-size products go for, I would never buy them.

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque is a wonderfully affordable clay mask that I have been using regularly once to twice a week for the past two years. It does a good job of deep-cleaning pores and refreshing the skin.

Have you used up any products recently?

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