Make Up For Ever: Aqua Brow

Make Up For Ever: Aqua Brow by elbonner featuring aqua makeup

I'm FINALLY getting around to reviewing this amazing product. I don't recommend things that I absolutely love and believe in. I keeps it real! This little tube of taupey magic has become my new favorite brow filler and I'm sharing my love with you for Aqua Brow! Make Up For Ever makes all sorts of amazing products, but this is my favorite one of all. How many times have you bought a eyebrow color only to find that it rubs off, looks like a sharpie, or has waaaay too much of a red tint? Well, all of those things have happened to me, and this little product makes all of these complaints a thing of the past.

1. It is super life-proof: I can put this stuff on at 6:30 am before I go to work, and have fabulous brows all day, no matter how many times I'm rubbed my eyes, scraped my safety goggles on them, whatever the work day throws at me. They stay on through my gym visit which always involves embarrassingly heavy sweating and brow-wiping. This stuff won't come off until you wash your face; guaranteed. The only time I can see this product maybe coming off is during summertime wear when you're reapplying sunscreen at the beach/pool/whatever outdoor activity. I can see the emollients in the sunscreen maybe shifting this stuff around. Even so, I am excited to see how well it works in the 110 degree sticky heat we get here in August!

2. This stuff looks super natural. I was worried that a liquid brow product would look like I just drew a line across my face in brown magic marker, but it dries to a powdery finish that isn't glittery, shiny, or flakey. I once bought a pretty pricey brow gel from a famous eyebrow brand and when I opened it the brow gel was a metallic, glittery bronze. WHAT. THE. HELL. I can't imagine who went into that R&D meeting and said "You know what this brow gel needs? A BUTTLOAD OF OBNOXIOUS GLITTER". Aqua Brow= no glitter, just natural looking brows.

3. NO RED TINT: this is huge! Brow products that don't make your brows look eerily orange are few and far between. I got mine in shade #25 (Ash) and it's the prefect greyish brown with NO RED. I'm already the pinkest human on earth, I don't need any more red in my life!

To show you just how lovely this product is, I'm hesitantly showing you a before/after where I have no other makeup on to take away from the brow experience!

As you can see, it's not that I have no eyebrows, it's just that the ones towards the middle of my face are a bit sparse and mine tend to grow in blond on the ends, nearly black in the middle of the hair, and blond/white at the root which makes them look really patchy.

Thaaaat's better. Everything's a but more filled in and much less patchy. I think the color matches well and doesn't make them look too dark!

All I use to work on my brows is the Aqua Brow itself, a spoolie (mascara free mascara wand for brushing things into place), and a decently stiff angled brow-filler brush. I got mine from Sephora, but Sonia Kashuk fot Target makes a good one too (left it in England :(:( ).

Again, I apologize for the pasty, makeup-less face, but I wanted the brows to be the focal point! Aqua Brow is my new favorite and the little $20 will last me forever. You only need the smallest amount to get the best effect. Find Aqua Brow and other Make Up For Ever products at Sephora and upgrade your eyebrows!

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*Got a few questions about using this product if you have light-to-no eyebrows and the answer there is get yourself some stencils! Some good ones are e.l.f Cosmetics Brow stencil kit if you don't want to spend a lot ($4 on amazon) or Anastasia Brow Stencils (available at Sephora and Ulta) which are pricier, but tried and true. Hope this helps!

Ultimate Gift: The Lash Stash

If the oppourtunity ever rolls around to purchase the Sephora Last Stash gift box again, I would seize the moment and buy like five of them. I got this as a gift this Christmas and I won't have to buy mascara for years. 

There are all the best selling mascaras in this little rose-gold box. I have been trying a new one out each day and I will probably do a post on how each one fared in my experiment.

 There are two full size mascaras: Sephora's Outrageous Volume and Tarte's Light Camera Flashes. There's also a set of Sephora false eyelashes which are a fun edition for when you're feeling fancy!

 The set came with a bunch of minis too including: Too Faced: Better Than Sex, YSL: Babydoll, Benefit They're Real, Makeup Forever Smoky Lash, Lancome Hypnose Drama, Clinique High Impact, Blinc mascara, and Buxom Lash.

I'm so grateful for this awesome gift. It really takes the guess-work out of having to pick another mascara that could just turn out to be an expensive mistake. I'm going to have a lot of fun playing around with these!

Hope you all who celebrate Christmas had a great holiday and will party down into the new year. Happy New Year's Eve!!

Niftey Gifties: Holiday Cosmetic Sets!

Holiday Gift Ideas: Cosmetics by elbonner featuring a liquid eyeliner

Since Christmas has decided to try to curb-stomp Thanksgiving out of existence, people have already been furiously Christmas shopping. This Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the states and the day after used to be when you got up at 5 am to go shopping for some good deals on "Black Friday". Now, stores open on Thanksgiving day at like 6pm so eventually Thanksgiving dinner will become a 7-11 cheeseburger Big Bite and a Red Bull in the car while you're on your way to physically assault a total stranger for a $15 ice cream maker. I say, forget going out, everything you need is on the internet. IT'S THE BEST THING EVER. Now, supporting local boutiques who actually exist to create a pleasant shopping experience should not be overlooked when Christmas shopping, go local right? But if you're a xenophobe or just hate the crowds, get some of your gifts online. I found a BUNCH on Sephora which is good because you can get people some really good stuff AND you get rewarded with Beauty Insider points that can score you some free gifts. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Stila Eyeliner set: My coworker has this set and her eyeliner is always bangin' so I'm adding this to the list. You get four different colors in a super cool felt-pen format that makes handling super easy, even for shakers like me!

2. Tarte "The Tarte of Giving" Collection: give this to someone who you really like because this thing is jam-packed with awesome stuff. Lots of eyeshadows, lots of lip glosses, my favorite face oil, a cheek stain, and lots of Christmas gift clout. "Oh your friend got you socks, WELL I BASICALLY GOT YOU AN ENTIRE MAKEUP LINE" *drops microphone, baller style*.This really is the reign supreme of makeup gifts, good for someone who is new to makeup and interested in experimenting with color combos!

3. Urban Decay Naked3 Palette: If you don't already have 1 or 2, take a look at three. No weird blue color, just a bunch of pretty, natural colors. Great for someone who isn't a wild child or can do with a new fancy palette. The shadows have a great color payoff and come with a brush you actually want to use. 

4. Anastasia Beverly Hills Bold & Beautiful Kit: Get someone on the track to good brows by getting them a kit. With this kit you get a brow powder, pomade, tweezers, and eyeshadows to have a complete eye makeup kit. Great for traveling and great for keeping your brows looking good!

5. Bite Beauty Best Bite Set: Nothing looks nicer during the holidays than a bright, matte lip.Save the shiny, sticky stuff for summer time and try a matte color. They stay on better, look really chic, and your hair doesn't get stuck to your lips every time you move your head. This set comes with four bold, but wearable colors that will fit neatly into a stocking!

6. Sephora Favorites Lash Stash Collection: Holy moly, if I got this for Christmas I would have the same reaction you or you brother did the Christmas he got an Nintendo 64. It's all of Sephora's best selling mascaras in deluxe sample size, all together, IN ONE COLLECTION. If you still don't get the hype, let me put it this way: you get 10 mascaras for the price of like 3-4. If you have a friend who either a.) has no money and needs some mascaras, or b.) is just a product whore, then this is the gift for her/him. 

I plan to do some more gift guides, because every needs a little pick-me-up present every once and a while. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas or other religious/cultural holidays, get something nice for you mom, dad, sister, brother, friend, mailman, it doesn't matter! Either that or TREAT YO'SELF! Later peeps!

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Travel Beauty!

Travel Beauty! by elbonner featuring a foundation brush

I'm about four days away from my trip to England and I'm furiously packing and re-packing my things to figure out what should go where, what can stay and what can go. It's maddening, I tell you! Plane travel can be exciting or can be a soul-sapping suck-fest that makes you think that humanity is disgusting and deserves all the bad things that happen to it. Make plane travel a little nicer with an on-board skin care routine to keep your skin from getting dull and dehydrated!

Cleanse 
From my personal experience, trying to use face wash on a plane = the ultimate disaster. Airplane restrooms are just pee-strewn germ factories, so if you want to keep your skin urine-free, stick with cleansing wipes. Here are my favorites:

Pacifica Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes: They get all the makeup off, they make your skin feel super clean and are totally biodegradable so the extra waste they produce is sort of counter-acted. 

Simple Facial Cleansing Wipes: Great for sensitive skin, takes off your makeup and cleanses away oils without over drying or irritating your face. Available almost anywhere (maybe even the airport).

Ole Henriksen Truth To Go Wipes: Loaded down with vitamin C,these wipes pack an extra skincare punch when using them. They leave skin brighter, happier, and less dull.

Hydrate + Treat
 Have 9 hours to kill with fuck-all to do? Do a face mask! Red-eye flight or not, face masks put back in what dry, horrible , recirculated plane air takes out. It can do a number on already dry skin and it needs to be replenished! 

Sekkisei Radience Boost Sheet Mask: One of about a billion of great Asian sheet masks that are super portable and really effective. You may look like a creepy modern zombie, but Asian girls have been doing these masks on overnight flights forever and have beautiful skin because of it. A challenge for the brave with the bonus that probably no one will bother you, let alone speak to you!

Yonka Masque No. 1 Anti-Age: This is my favorite moisturizing mask and is made to be worn overnight. For the not-doing-the-scary-sheet-mask traveler, this stuff goes on clear and creates a barrier between 20% humidity and beautifully hydrated skin. This also smells like jasmine which makes it calming while you're three rows deep into Hell.

Mario Badescu Glycolic Gel: Need to exfoliate on the go? This gel is gentle enough to use in the dry air,though I would recommend this more for oily-skinned people. Glycolic acid eats away dead skin cells accumulated during a long flight so that when you wipe it off at the end, it's smooth sailing! 

Refresh

Minis make reapplication on the plane a no-brainer and it gives you something to do when you just can't read or play Risk on your iPad.

Dior Show Mini Mascara Duo: This primer/mascara duo of my favorite formula/brush combo make fabulous lashes achievable at 30,000 or 5,000 if you want to look good WHILE YOU'RE PLUMMETING TO YOUR DEATH! Just kidding! They're so cute; just buy them already!

Smith's Rosebud Salve: chapped lips? Rosebud salve. Frizzy hair? Warm up some rosebud salve in your hands and smooth. Crusty-ass knuckles a la Emily? ROSEBUD SALVE. It can be used for so many things from dry nostrils to cuticle treatment. Good to have everywhere, all the time.

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream: I gave this product so much shit after I first bought it. I thought it had no coverage and wrote it off to my friends as a no-no. I have since come to really love this stuff for the natural coverage and superior moisture that it provides and think it would be great for the plane. It's got color, moisture, and a sunscreen which knocks out three products and makes it one.

Fresh Sugar Lychee Rollerball Perfume: It doesn't have to be this scent, but get your favorite in a roller ball. You're not being a complete ass by spritzing your perfume in anyone elses' face and it's just easier to carry. This one smells of fruit and freshness so it's uplifting whilst not so heavy that it makes anyone around me heave (my worst nightmare).

Benefit Bronze Of Champions Palette: It's got your bronzer, it's got an eyeshadow, it's got a lip gloss, mascara, concealer, and highlighter all in a tiny package. Leave you're big palettes in your suitcase and opt for an all-in-one palette like this for pre-landing touch-ups.

Bobbi Brown Basic Travel Brush Kit: Leave big brushes at home and invest in a good brush kit to take to the skies. Bobbi Brown seems to do everything right in my eyes so this brush kit goes without asking. It has eye brushes, it has face brushes, it has all the brushes your head needs! They are pricey, but they are good-ass brushes. 

You don't have to look fancy at the airport, but how dumpy do you feel when you're bumming around in your sweatpants as a well put-together, super traveler passes you by after a flight from Singapore to New York?! Do your face a favor and take care of it in the air as well as on the ground!

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Brow-Wow

Brow-Wow by elbonner featuring benefit cosmetics

If I were to become world dictator, after I made it illegal to not eat ice cream for breakfast and to institute a two-day work week, I would strongly suggest (torture) people let their brows grow out a bit! It's been said that fuller brows make you look younger and if they're groomed correctly then they can totally change the way your face looks. A few years ago I went from a very traditional arched brow to thicker set a la Cara Delevingne (above) and my face look so much more fierce! Like Sasha Fierce...ok no, but I feel a lot better about my face now that I've got big, beautiful eyebrows.Now, they didn't just pop up overnight. There were weeks of awkward grow-outs full of super thick, stubbly hairs that looked gross, but the end result was worth it. I now only pluck a few hairs to keep things cleaned up so I have decreasedthe pain-for-beauty factor by a lot. They do take a few tricks to keep them in tip-top shape:

Anastasia Eyebrow pencil w/spoolie: I don't use the pencil so much anymore since I got the wrong color, but I keep it for the spoolie. They are THE BEST for brushing things up to trim the long ones and then smooth everything into place. 

Angled Brow Powder Brush: I don't use the exact brand pictured here, but I use an identical one I purchased at the Target and it works wonder for naturally filling in the patches I tend to get with brow-powder.

Benefit Brow-Zings: When I'm traveling, I don't bring the giant palette that has my usual brow powder glued into it. I bring this handy-dandy kit that has everything I need when I'm on the road. Brow-zings has adorable mini tweezers, angled brush and wax brush to apply the brow powder and seal over with wax to keep things stationary.

RefectoCil Cream Dye: MY SECRET IS OUT. Well, not really. Even thought I'm a natural light blonde, I was born with very dark, almost black, eyebrows and eyelashes. Blonde focused brow products are waaaay too light for me and in the summer, my brows tend to lighten in the sun. Also, some will begin to grow in dark and then turn almost translucent a few millimeters from the root, causing some heinous patchiness. I fix this by tinting my brows and the best stuff I have used is Refectocil. If anyone wants a video tutorial I can make a very embarrassing video of my tinting process. It's super easy and can be done before a shower. They come out so well I don't need to fill them in with anything for at least a week. 

MAC Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Charcoal Brown: I don't use an actual brow color, this eyeshadow is the closest I've found to my natural color.Ilove it and use it whenever I'm home and around my normal makeup stuff. 

Tweezerman Tweezers: Step one: get good tweezers. Step Two: Enjoy.

Hope this little post was helpful. Just e,brace the brows people. I cringe when I see a mangled arch or the obvious tan-line where your former brow-hairs covered things up. Now, don't go all Frida Kahlo unless you can really rock it (I CANNOT), and just give yourself one less thing to worry about. Brows away!!

Spring Lip Color Extravaganza!

WARNING: This post contains a lot of photos of me making stupid faces in my bathroom. If you are offended by my face, then please steer clear of this post! I am getting more and more into lip colors the older I get/the less I care. I've recently gotten into the oranges/tangerines/corals that have become so popular as-of-late and I've bought a whole bunch in all sorts of different finishes. This post took lots of tissues and resulted in some seriously dry lips, so a new post for you and a extreme lip conditioner treatment for me!

Clinique Almost Lipstick: Black Honey. My new favorite. It's so natural, "black honey" really is the only combination of nouns and adjectives suitable to describe it.

Clinique Chubby Stick in Oversized Orange. Love that this is like a crayon you can just draw on your face with. Very sheer, but great for a touch of color.

NYX Butter Gloss in Cherry Cheese Cake: Sheer-ish coral that is super moisturizing. A bit sticky, but worth it. Crossed-eyes not included!

Sephora Pantone Collection in Tangerine Tango: BRIGHT tangerine orange color. Great for a fun night out or just reminding people that you like color.

MAC Lipstick in Saint Germain: This is a hard color to pull off, but it's so much fun when you so. A strawberry milk pink that is great for hipster dance parties or hanging in at that place in Tokyo where all the girls dress like creepy dolls! (nail color: Fiji by Essie)

MAC Lipstick in Vegas Volt: More of an orange-hot pink hybrid, this neon coral color is awesome. If I had more appropriate places to wear it I'd be through a million of these by now.

MAC Lipstick in Morange: A more matte version of the Sephora Pantone lipgloss, this is a really fun color that works with every skin tone. 

Ellis Faas Creamy Lips in L102: Hellooo extra from The Craft! This color is the BUSINESS. Ugh, I love it so much, but I feel like I would be seen a vampire slut if I wore it during the day. A deep plum wine color that is super hot and the applicator is shaped like a giant bullet. That should be enough to sell you!

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-Hour Lipstick in Fierce: My lips have a weird way of making every red lip stick I've ever tried turn pink. That is why I always stick to oranges. This is the first true red to stay red on my lips ever! It stays on well, maybe not 12 hours well, but I really like it.

Well I hope staring at my face for a prolonged period of time didn't scare you off forever. How am I supposed to share my love of lip color with you without smearing it on my face and making you look at it?! Well, I hope you all have a good weekend and put some color on your face!

Last Minute Shoppers: Get Presents That Don't Suck

I say this from atop my high-horse, I got all of my Christmas shopping done about a month ago and have really only supplemented it with little things I think are fun along the way. If you are way too busy and have only got a few days to get your shit together, then you are in luck. Here are a few last-minute gift ideas for your loved ones:

Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara Collection- Sephora

Most major cities have a Sephora, and luckily Sephora has some great gift sets that give you lots of stuff for not that much money. I like this set because Lancome Hypnose is a tried-and-true good mascara. Plus you get a primer, liquid liner, and a makeup remover. I would totally want this!

 

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette- Sephora

Thank you again, Sephora. This palette has every neutral shade you need, plus a brush, plus a tiny adorable lip gloss. Unless you like wearing wild colors all the time and work as a circus clown/colorful stripper, this is really all the colors you'll ever need. 

 

Art of Shaving Unscented Initiation Kit- Nordstrom

Most dudes shave or have refused to since Movember. Guilt them into shaving off that beard with this fancy kit from Art of Shaving.It has a badger hair brush, shave cream, after shave balm, and pre-shave oil to make your dudes face smooth and classy.

 

Jack Black "Balm Squad" Balm Quad- Nordstrom

Everyone hates dry, crusty lips. Jack Black's (not from Kung-Fu Panda fame) lip balm is supposed to be the next best thing in lip care. With this set you can either give them all to one person or you can divvy them up and give them to four different people. It even gives you the opportunity to keep one for yourself!

Diptyque Holiday Candles- Diptyque

These are fancy-ass candles that make for a fancy-ass gift. Diptyque has released two Christmas-themed candles, sapin dore that smells like Christmas trees, amber oud that smells spicy and seasonal, and oublian which smells like frankincense (baby Jesus approved). Diptyque candles always make a good gift because they look nice and everyone likes candles. If they don't like candles, too bad!

(available at Nordstrom or Saks 5th Ave)

Cashmere Infinity Scarf- J. Crew

If all-else fails, you can never go wrong with a nice scarf. It works for either gender, and unless it's made of burlap and razor wire, it will be soft and comfortable no matter what the price. If you really want to make someone feel bad about not getting you something better, get them a cashmere scarf. Now, whenever they start complaining about things you can remind them of how much you spent on that scarf and the guilt should shut them up!

Hope this little guide helps in a pinch. If you really don't have time to shop just resort to food. Everyone likes cookies and here are a few of my favorite cookie recipes. Some don't even need baking! Happy shopping everyone!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles (vegan)

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Peppermint Bark

Gingerbread Cookies

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

All Eyes on Me: My Favorite Mascaras

All Eyes on Me by elbonner featuring christian dior cosmetics

One thing I always put on, even if there's nothing else on my face, is mascara. Mascara can make the planest face (mine) look like a movie stars (over exaggerating). The problem with mascara is there are a MILLION of them and it's hard and expensive to find one that you really like. I have found in the wild ride also known as my life(actually kind of boring) that you need different mascaras for different events and situations so it's a good idea to have a couple on hand.

1. Diorshow Extase from Dior: MAJOR big-time lashes. Long, voluminous,you get it all. I bought this stuff at Nordstrom and put it on in the car. The next place I went to, no fewer than four people asked if I was wearing false lashes. It's THAT GOOD. Best for going out or dress-up events like weddings or parties. Available at Nordstrom and Sephora

2. They're Real! from Benefit: great all-around mascara. If I don't want huge lashes, but enough length and volume to look good then I use this stuff. Doesn't flake and is good for everyday wear or at work. Available at Sephora and Ulta.

3. Cover Girl Lash Blast 24HR: This is think is technically a waterproof mascara because it does NOT come off with water or your normal foaming cleanser. I have to use an oil-based remover to get this stuff off. Great in the summer for the beach and for weepy events (didn't want to go here: funerals. Downer!).  This stuff is great because you can buy it anywhere in the US and it makes your lashes long, fat and it stays on and doesn't flake. Available at drugstores.

4. Opulash by MAC Cosmetics: This was my first ever "high-end" mascara and I love it! The giant brush covers every lash and is like a lighter version of Diorshow.Good for every day or pile it on for the evening. This stuff washes off with warm water, you don't need to scrub it off your eyes. Great little mascara! Available at Macy's, Nordstrom, and MAC stores.

Mascara is the business and I use it more than anything else in my makeup drawer. If you want beautiful lashes give one (or all) of these a try!