All About That Brow

Hello lovelies, today we're going to discuss eyebrows! When I first started looking into filling my brows in I had a difficult time finding a brow pencil that would match my hair colour. I have dark brown to black hair (depending on the lighting), so anything that was deemed "dark brown" was too warm toned and would look noticeably fake, and nobody wants to look like they have drawn on eyebrows especially with a colour that doesn't even match their eyebrow hair! I began using eyeshadows that were passable as eyebrow colours, however in the past couple of years I noticed more and more products geared towards getting that perfect brow look. Needless to say, I struggled to find brow products that work for me so here are a few products that I have in rotation at the moment, enjoy!

My first brow love was Anastasia Brow Wiz ($27) in the colour 'Ebony'! This pencil was a game changer for me. It has a fine pointed  tip and comes with a small spooly on the other end . It is really well pigmented and gives you so much control over the application that you don't need to press hard at all. You can create more dramatic eyebrows or more natural looking ones with this product. It lasts about 7-8 hours on me, a couple of hours less on humid and hot days but it's small and portable so I carry mine with me at all times just in case I want create a more full look or I need a touch up.

Anastasia Brow Wiz in the colour Ebony

This past fall, I wanted to go back to using a powder to give me a more lighter, natural looking eyebrow for day-to-day and something that would be a bit more "fool proof", in the sense that my brows didn't have to be perfect on days when I only had 5 minutes to get ready! I did a bit of research and finally decided to purchase the Anastasia Brow-Duo ($30) in the colour 'Ash Brown' which is a more cool tone brown (as the name suggests). I apply it with the MAC 263 brush and while it's not the best brow product I've used and could be a little bit more pigmented it gets the job the done for the days I need it. I think if you want to fill in your brow lightly or want a powder to fill in the middle/beginning part of the brow then I'd say give this one a go, otherwise I'd pass on this one.

Anastasia Brow Wiz in the colour Ebony and Brow Duo in the colour Ash Brown

My current favourite is the Anastasia DipBrow Pomade ($23) in the colour 'Ebony". I had read so many reviews for this product but thought it would be way too heavy looking for me. Luckily I was wrong, it's a heavy pigmented cream that dries as a powder, has major staying power, and gives a very clean cut look. Be warned, you need to use a light hand with this product otherwise your brows may look overdrawn. It lasts me the whole day and is waterproof, and only comes off with make remover. I apply mine with the MAC 263 (again) and I really do love this product, it give a very clean looking brow with minimal effort, I would recommend this for girls who want to have an almost too perfect brow (is there really such a thing?).

Anastasia Dip Brow in the colour Ebony

A quick tip for those who struggle drawing clean looking brows, you can clean up any mess with a bit of concealer; just apply concealer around the edges to tidy things up! So those are my current picks at the moment, let me know what you use as I'm always on the hunt for a better product - xo.

IMATS Toronto 2014

Hello lovelies, it was that time of year again for IMATS! This was my second time attending the show in Toronto and it was definitely a lot busier than last. I got to the convention centre at 9am and there was already a long line up to get in. Advice for those of you planning on attending next year, come prepared. I can not stress that enough, it's very chaotic inside the hall so having a list handy will save you time and money. Also, if you're able to stick to your budget, bringing cash with you is good idea as all vendors except MAC accept cash (debit or credit only).

Once I got in I went straight to the MAC booth, from last year experience I learned that the MAC line can get a bit ridiculous, even at at 9am the line was over an hour long however it was  probably because they only have two cashiers! I didn't end up getting everything I wanted as they had already sold out of a few things and it's mainly the Pro products they bring so keep that in mind when composing your lists. I snagged Fix Plus, 224 Tapered Blending brush and Soft Brown eyeshadow with a 20% discount, so not too bad.

After MAC we headed to MUFE which was having 40% off, however they didn't have much in stock and didn't bring all of their line either, so I only ended up buying the lipliner 2C, which is a dusty pink that's very neutral and the formulation on these lip liners are amazing, they're very creamy and pigmented but don't budge once applied to the lips.

I ended up picking up two beauty blenders as they're significantly cheaper at the show (two for $28). I love using them to blend my foundation, concealer and cream contour. I also bought the Real Techniques duo fiber brush set ($30). I think that the Real Techniques brushes are comparable to higher end brushes, they're very dense and well made, and I use them quite a bit so I thought I would give the duo fiber brushes a shot too. I also bought two Bdellium brushes. I had heard so much about Bdellium but passed on them last year in favour of Morphe and Crown brushes but decided to check them out this year. I also love the fact that all the brushes are vegan and synthetic but are such high quality brushes. I got the 974 Tapered Face brush ($10) and the 957 Precision Kabuki ($12). Additionally, I picked up one Sigma brush, the P80. This brush is amazing for applying and blending small areas such as under the eyes. It's also great for blending out a cream contour. If you love the Sigma F80, you'll absolutely love this!

I also ended up buying 5 stacks of individual lashes! I absolutely hate wearing lashes or lash strips. I've only tried lash strips twice in my life and both times I've taken them off within 10 minutes. I really dislike the look and feel of them. Even when I had mink lashes permanently attached to my lashes, I couldn't stand them and within a month I went back to the spa and asked them to be removed. So why did I buy the lashes? Well I tried some individuals on for a night and I totally forgot that I had them on and loved the look of them so I thought I might give lases another try. I also picked up 3 sets of lash strips, just to give them another fair go although not too sure how soon I'll be wearing them!

In addition to make up I ended up purchasing some nail polishes too. Similar to last year there were plenty of great deals for nail polish. I decided to get 6 CND Vinylux polishes, although Essie and OPI polishes were available for a cheaper price point. I used the CND brand when I went to the Four Season's Spa and it lasted me two whole weeks! I also got a China Glaze Fast Freeze Quick Dry which reduces drying  time and doubles as a top coat!

Let me know if you went to IMATs this year what you got!