excuse the bare face
Everyone! Please pass this around! Getting your brows done at the Benefit Brow Bar located in Ulta stores is not just a service it is an amazing EXPERIENCE!
I will admit that this was the first time that I have ever gotten my brows professionally done. I waxed and tweezed my own brows all four years of high school (until I accidentally waxed skin off) and for the past five years I have just been tweezing them myself.
I heard very good reviews about the Benefit Brow Bar so I have not been maintaining them as much in order to gain the full experience and skill level of the artist. I'm sure you can tell from my recent blog posts.
I did not have an appointment but I was lucky enough to be squeezed in after someone canceled their appointment. The woman who did my brows was so sweet! She was pleasant to talk to and was very personable.
She measured my brows and drew where they should start and end and where my arch should be in order to properly frame my face. The first time I thought they she outlined them a little thin for my taste but was perfectly fine with wiping it all away and starting again. No complaints or attitude at all!!!! The second time they looked perfect! She waxed and tweezed them.
During the process I asked many questions about different brow powders, gels, etc and even the new mouses and pomades that have debuted recently. She gave me her opinions on all of them, one of which was negative about the new Anastasia Brow Pomade! It was so nice to hear an honest opinion.
I voiced concern that my arches were too pointy and she gradually rounded them off so I wouldn't freak out! I absolutely loved her approach!
After everything was done she even helped color match me to different brow products so I would have some choices! I ended up getting the Tarte Brow Mouse again, I returned the other one I had because I had the wrong color. I purchased rich brown and will definitely do an update!
Overall my brows have never looked better! They look more even than I could have ever gotten them myself!
This would by my first favorites post! I have so many favorites for this month! First up! Palettes!
Both the Naked3 and The Chocolate Bar Palettes have been my absolute favorites lately! I love the pink/mauve tones that they both have. Every shadow is just absolutely gorgeous in their own way. And I just cannot get over that amazing cocoa smell! I have to say my favorite shadow from the Naked3 is Blackheart and my favorite from the Chocolate Bar is Amaretto.
My favorite foundations for this month are the Maybleline fit me Liquid foundation (240) and the Tarte Amazonian clay full coverage airbrush foundation (Medium-Tan Sand). And I cannot have that foundation without that beautiful Airbuki Bamboo Powder foundation brush that debuted with it!
The Milani Lipstick in 26 Nude is an amazing nudey pink shade that I think will fit any skin tone! These lipsticks smell so sweet! They don't have the longest staying power but I think the color is so pretty.
The Tarte amazonian clay waterproof concealer (light-medium honey) is a very nice under eye concealer! I have freckles and it is very hard for me to find a concealer that will cover my dark circles without covering my freckles. This just does just that and because it is such a light concealer, works as a really good highlight as well.
The e.l.f. studio blush and bronzing duo in Antigua has been my go to blush and bronzer and the baked bronzer in Los Cabos has been my go to highlight almost every day this past month! They are beautifully pigmented! I love the baby doll cool toned pink for the blush. Los Cabos has a great sheen to it that brings the prettiest glow to the face!
The single eyeshadow of the month is one of the e.l.f. baked eyeshadows in Toasted. It has the best finish to where this can really be the only shadow on my entire lid and it looks like I'm wearing three different shades! It is very pretty!
The Loreal butterfly mascara has been my favorite mascara since it came out! Unfortunately I lost the original one that I purchased and could online find it in waterproof again. I think that I like the regular formula better than the waterproof formula. The waterproof can be a bit clumpy on the third coat. I never had issues with clumping with the original.
The e.l.f. studio brow gel and powder (Medium) is so good for the price! The gel is very smooth and can create a cry natural look. As you can see, I have hit pan in the gel and not the powder. I'm not a big fan of the powder, that doesn't look very natural at all.
I've always loved the Maybeline color tattoos but these two have been my favorite this month. I have been wearing Bad to the Bronze on its on and using Inked in Pink as a base to help emphasize the pink tones in my Naked3 palette.
The e.l.f. studio mineral power brush has definitely been a favorite. I have been using this to help apply liquid foundation but this month I have been mostly using it to contour. It is the perfect shape that fits into the hallows of my cheeks! Long time Love!
The NYX eyeshadow base is also truly amazing! It is similar to the jumbo shadow stick in milk but not as thick. It is so much easier to spread over the whole lid and it helps boost the pigmentation of shadows just like the shadow sticks! In colder temperatures it does not crease like the shadow sticks and helps to prevent shadows put on top from creasing as well, but I recently discovered that in hot/humid climates it does crease.
I'm not sure why I waited so long to mention this but this has been my go to eye cram for longer than a month. It is the Benefit It's Potent eye cream. I don't think It really does a lot with puffiness under the eye area but it does help with dark circle and texture. When I use this I find that my under eye concealer and foundation under the eye area go on very smoothly and doesn't look as cakey and some would otherwise.
The Peter Thomas Roth Oiless Oil has been doing the same thing for my face that the Befefit eye cream does under my eyes. It helps smoothes the skin and works really well as a moisturizer. it is targeted to help smooth fine lines and wrinkles. The only wrinkles that really bother me are my laugh lines. I don't think I have used this long enough to see a real difference in those.
And last but not least is a hair product. It is the Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Leave in treatment. I got this from Big Lots on sale because I believe that have changed the packaging. I have very curly hair that can be very dry. This definitely helps with my dry ends and smells really good as well!
Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to ask any questions or leave comments below <3
