Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade Review

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade ($18) is described as a waterproof brow color ideal for sculpting, defining, and carving perfectly precise brows that won't fade. Their smudge-free, creamy formula glides on skin and adheres to hair. It's a must have for oily skin and humid climates.

Dipbrow Pomade is available in (5) shades: blonde, auburn, chocolate, dark brown and ebony. New shades are to be released in the Fall of 2014. I own this pomade in blonde, auburn and chocolate.

The gel-like formula of this pomade allows for a smooth easy application that glides on without much effort. With its opaque pigmentation it is perfect for creating both bold and soft looking brows. The opacity will not only stay on your skin but your hairs as well, even if they are darker than the shade you're applying. Whatever look you're going for depends on the amount you apply and the technique you use.

For a softer natural brow look, use light hair-like strokes throughout your brow and make sure to blend out with a spoolie. It does set fairly quickly so I recommend working on one brow at a time. You will need to run a spoolie through your brow before the product dries.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomades (blonde, auburn, chocolate)

This brings me to its lasting power. Once the pomade has settled, it is STAYING PUT. The longest I've had it on has been for 14 hours without any smudging even after sleeping. (Yes, I know I shouldn't sleep with makeup on.. I usually don't, I just didn't have makeup remover readily available to me)

Water alone will not remove the pomade which is great for the summertime as it's sweat-proof! You will need to use an oil-based eye makeup remover or Neutrogena makeup remover cleansing towelettes work great. I try not to use eye makeup remover on my brows because I tend to get dry there and feel that the oil-based remover makes my skin even drier.

PACKAGING

Who isn't a sucker for beautiful packaging?! I know I am. These pomades come packaged in a clear glass pot and have black with rose gold accent plastic twist-off caps; reminiscent of the MAC paint pots. I like the easy accessibility to the product that these pots offer but feel that the packaging is a bit heavy and bulky for traveling. They aren't very hygienic (if you plan on using it in your pro kit) compared to the squeeze tube of MUFE Aqua Brow is and if not securely tightened, they can dry out.

Although much product is not needed to achieve a look, the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade only comes with 0.14oz of actual product. Whereas the MUFE Aqua Brow comes with more product at 0.23oz. It is comparable to the consistency of the Aqua Brow but I think the Dipbrow Pomade isa bit more pigmented.


SWATCHES

Swatches left to right: blonde, auburn, chocolate.

Blonde is an ash taupe made for blondes. I do wish it was a bit warmer though. I believe that a warmer shade for blondes will be released in the Fall. Blonde can also be used on darker hair to make your brows appear a bit lighter.

Auburn is a reddish warm brown. I am currently using this shade since it goes well with my hair color. Even if I haven't ligthened my brows (my natural hair color is black) it covers the hair very well.

Chocolate is a cool dark brown. I picked up this shade to add to my kit instead of ebony because it comes off pretty dark and figured I can always darken it on black hair with a shadow.

 

(Here I'm using Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Auburn on my brows)

Although there aren't many shades available you can mix them to create a desired color.

The Rundown
I'm really enjoying the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade and haven't been using anything else since. I love the formula and application of these as well as the lasting power. Not having to use more than one product on my brows is a major plus because it knocks down the time I have to spend on them. I wish the other shades would have come out in the initial launch of this product though; I would have picked up the upcoming shades instead of these.

Availability: Nordstrom / Ulta / Sephora / Anastasia Beverly Hills
Price: $18 (.14oz)

Prada Candy Eau de Parfum Spray Review + Photos

Prada Candy Eau de Parfum Spray (2.7 oz)

Prada Candy Eau de Parfum Spray ($112, 2.7 0z) is a seductive fragrance that takes me back in time to those years as a little girl when I would breathe in the sweet scent of my mother as she got herself ready. It is very reminiscent of Thierry Mugel Angel although I prefer Prada Candy over Angel any day.

Candy is not to be mistaken with the mature motherly scent we are used to when thinking about our mothers. I wouldn't say it's a fragrance directed toward a young high-schooler, but instead aimed towards a more sophisticated woman in her late 20's-early 30's. At first spray, its sweet smell of benzoin fades after settling on your skin, leaving you with notes of sensual caramel vanilla musk.


 

Notes: Caramel, Musk, Vanilla, Benzoin.

Being that Candy is a parfum and not a toilette, it is more potent than a toilette spray so a little goes a long way. It is also more expensive than a Eau de Toilette because they have 10-20% of fragrant extract and oils while the other has less. You can get away with a couple of sprays of Candy that will linger on throughout the day. Using an Eau de Toilette may be less expensive but requires more sprays that will only last you a few hours. Candy is a bit pricey at $64, 1 oz; $84, 1.7 oz; $112, 2.7 oz. You can find it at Sephora and Ulta.

It's a great fragrance for the fall/winter since I can't see myself spraying this on a hot/humid summer day.




What first attracted me to this perfume was the sleek seductive packaging; with its gold, hot pink and black accents. Unlike most other perfumes it doesn't feature a cap. I actually like that for convenience and most times I tend to misplace my perfume caps. If you're worried about traveling with the bottle, don't fret. It comes with a safe traveling guard that attaches to the neck of the spray top to prevent it from accidentally being sprayed.

Another nice feature is that the hose is practically invisible. You need to look closely at the bottle to actually notice that it's inside. This makes the packaging more sophisticated in appearance.

The Rundown
Although I am a fan of its sweet scent, I don't see myself repurchasing it. It is quite pricey and there are many other fragrances I've been wanting to try out such as Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. Candy is a perfume I will generally use at night for a special occasion. I have been enjoying the scent but would like to venture out and try others. Throughout the day I'm currently reaching for Lady Gaga Fame which is harder to find as it's been discontinued in stores.

Have you tried Prada Candy? What is your favorite perfume?

Availability: Nordstrom
Price: $112, 2.7 oz

Bronze-Copper Glitter Nails

On occasion I love wearing glitter on my nails. I don't often use glitter polishes because we all know what a hassle it is to get off. But since it had been such a long time, I was feeling a little creative the week of Thanksgiving.

This drugstore combo came out perfect for the holiday. I applied one base coat, using Sally Hansen (Forbidden Fudge). Then applied 2 coats of Spoiled by Wet n' Wild (Cougar Attack).

Sally Hansen (Forbidden Fudge) + Spoiled (Cougar Attack) - taken in indoor white lighting.

Sally Hansen Forbidden Fudge is a bronzed chocolate brown. To wear on its own you will need 2 coats for an even application. The brush is a round thick brush that collects a good amount of polish. I suggest wiping some of the polish off into the bottle before applying.

Spoiled Cougar Attack is a brown jelly polish with fine bronze & copper glitters. It is exceptionally pretty when layered on top of a base color. I'm not too fond of wearing glitter polishes on their own. I suggest using pure acetone when trying to remove the glitter polish. I had such a hard time getting all the glitter off.

 

Sally Hansen (Forbidden Fudge) + Spoiled (Cougar Attack) - taken in indoor yellow lighting.

To seal the manicure I used my favorite topcoat - Out the Door. It recently replaced the Seche Vite topcoat. I was looking for a better topcoat since I began to dislike Seche Vite. I was having issues with Seche Vite skrinking in on the edges of my nailbeds. Out the Door Topcoat doesn't give me any issues. It actually performs just like Seche Vite but doesn't have such a strong odor plus it dries quicker; in just 45 seconds. It's less expensive as well ($5). I got mine at Sally's Beauty Supply. Hope you enjoyed this combo! Comment down below with any glitter polishes you suggest trying out :)

Brown Smokey Eye

 

I've been MIA for a while but I plan on revamping my blog page as far as the layout is set up. In the meantime, here's a quick post on a brown smokey eye I did this past week. I kept the rest of my face pretty clean and simple.

*No filters/editing was used for the pics and were taken with my Samsung Galaxy s3*

Don't forget to follow me on my social networking sites for more makeup posts. (FIND LINKS AT THE END OF THIS POST) You can find detailed information of what products I used to complete other looks & see what I have been up to!

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FACE:

• Tarte Poreless Primer
• Mix of Maybelline Superstay Foundation (classic beige) + Loreal Lumi Foundation (nude beige)
• Benefit Fake Up Concealer (light) + Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer (light) to highlight undereye, down bridge of the nose and forehead, cupids bow & chin + MAC Prolongwear Concealer (nw25) + Ben Nye Banana Powder to set my concealer
• Loreal True Match Powder (cappuccino) as bronzer on temples, cheeks, nose & jawline + MUD Cosmetics Cheek Color (glow) on cheekbones.
• TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer as highlight on cheeks, down the bridge of my nose & cupids bow.
• Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray to set everything

BROWS:

• Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector (0) + Ardell Brow Powder (taupe)

EYES:

• UDPP on lids to prime.
• NYX Jumbo Pencil (dark brown) as base + Victorias Secret Velvet Shadow (rich) on upper & bottom lid
• MAC (soft brown) on crease to blend out the edges of the lid color and as transition color
• NYX (highlight) on browbone and inner corner
• Loreal Lineur Intense Liquid Liner + Inglot Gel Liner #77 on waterline
• Physicians Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Lash Mascara (Ultra Black) + Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara + Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara on top lashes
• Urban Decay Canonball Waterproof Mascara on bottom lashes

 LIPS:

• Jordana Lip Liner (tawny) + Loreal Coulour Riche (sheer linen) + Revlon Superlustrous Gloss (pink pop)
• TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer on center of bottom lip for a fuller effect

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