On to much more fun stuff….so I was on the hunt for a great matte finish nail polish (now I know this look isn’t for everyone, but it is fun to try every once in awhile when you’re up for something new and different) and instead of finding the perfect color, I found the perfect solution! Essie created a product called “matte about you” which is a matte finisher used in place of a top coat. This product totally delivers, and literally doubles your nail polish inventory! You can use it on top of any nail polish and it instantly mattes the color! Now your favorite nail polish can have two completely different looks. Check it out ladies!

Goodluck Ladies! Stay fabulous, Stay inspired:)

So maybe scarves haven’t always been your go-to accessory, maybe you’re a little rusty when it comes to tying it around your neck, whatever your situation may be, I found this little gem of a site to help anyone in need of a ‘how to’ lesson in wearing and tying scarves:

http://www.texeresilk.com/cms-scarf_tying_guide.html

I cannot rave about this enough, this site is simple to navigate and gives straight forward instruction on over 40 various ways to tie and fold your scarf.

Buying scarves tends to be a piece of cake for me (ahhh I own far too many!), but if you’re unsure of where to start, here are a few websites to get you going:

• www.urbanoutfitters.com
• www.revolveclothing.com
• www.pashminainternational.com
• www.bluefly.com
• www.modcloth.com
• Any department store websites (ex: www.bloomingdales.com)
• Also there are many impressive bargain scarves to be found at Forever 21, H&M, and Loehmans to name a few.

Make sure you stay not only warm this season, but fashionable as well!  Goodluck!  As always, stay fabulous ladies, stay inspired! 

An example of a well shaped eyebrow.

Notice where the eyebrow begins, where the arch is, and where the brow ends. This is important!

This is actually an example of eyebrow tattooing, proceed with caution. I will get more in depth about cosmetic tatooing in future posts.

 If you haven’t had your eyebrows professionally done I would highly recommend finding an eyebrow specialist in your area and booking a consultation appointment with them. Most of the time it is free, and can offer tons of information about the best shape for your face.  If money is tight or you’re totally impatient and can’t wait for an appointment like me, here are some tips on maintaining your brows on your own, you DO NOT want to end up looking like this….

Ahhh the dreaded hook brow. If you look in the mirror and realize that your brows resemble this picture in any way, quickly throw away your tweezers, and allow your eyebrows to grow! All kidding aside, this can be fixed, it just requires patience and strong will. We'll get through this together.

This is a new problem all together, as in, there are no brows at all. I'm not sure if the single line eyebrow was ever in style (even Pam Anderson can't pull it off...but she sure does try), but I can assure you, it's the quickest way to age your face. As women age, eyebrows tend to become sparse, but there are products out there that can help (read on to find out more). Also, as I showed you before, tattooing is an option as well.

Just the opposite of the last two pictures, sometimes having too much can be a bad thing. Lourdes has a beautiful face, but I bet you noticed that second to her eyebrows. How detrimental when first impressions are often the most important!

**I want to start by saying I do not suggest WAXING your own eyebrows. **

In my professional opinion, if you are not someone who is going to make an appointment every two to three weeks to get your brows done the next best thing you can do is invest in a superior pair of tweezers (Tweezerman Slant Tweezers and Tweezerman Point Tweezersare almost as good as having a live in aesthetician).   Make yourself a start up appointment with a brow specialist.  It is important to have your brows professionally sculpted at least once every couple months to ensure that you’re maintaining a shape most beneficial to your face.  You and your tweezers will learn how to take care of the daily maintenance (only tweeze rogue hairs, don’t touch hairs growing near your actual brow, let a professional handle those).   As promised, here are step by step instructions for self shaping:

1. To begin, start by patting your eyebrow area with a warm compress, this opens the pores, thus making plucking less painful.

2. When first tweezing, only pluck hairs that clearly do not belong (hairs far above or below the actual eyebrow, also the hairs in between the brow, Frida Kahlo was an amazing artist, but she never won any accolades for those brows!).

Tip: Make sure you are only tweezing one hair at a time.  Removing multiple hairs at once can lead to unnecessary irritation, and even worse, bald spots!

3. Once the brow area is clear of any excess hairs, take a pencil (preferably a brow pencil, as this will come in handy later) and place it at the side of your nose vertically.  Notice where the pencil and your brow meet.  This is where your eyebrow should begin.  Make a mark where the pencil and brow intersect and tweeze any hairs located outside your marking.

4. Your next step is to take the same pencil and place it at the side of your nose again, however this time you are going to angle it to intersect with the outer corner of your eye.  This is where your brow should end.  Once again make a mark and tweeze any hairs growing beyond your marking.

Tip: Brush through your brow several times while shaping, this helps to prevent accidents and overtweezing!

5. Having an arch is nice, but not every face is meant for it, having said this, if you notice a natural arch in your brow you can then place the pencil at an angle that hits the middle of your mouth, side of your nostril, and outside the iris of the eye.  Mark the peak of your arch and tweeze a gradual line from the beginning of the brow to the arch.  Gradual is key, you do not want to go overboard and look perpetually angry.

6. You’ve now shaped a brow that was meant for you facial structure.  To double check that you have the correct shape, once again grab the pencil that has become your best friend and place it horizontally from the start of your brow to the end.  This should create a straight line.

Tip: I suggest tweezing one brow and then the other, as this will give you a shape to follow.

7.   Now that you’ve shaped your brow you can move on to general maintenance.  Just as the hair on your head can grow too long, so too can the hair in your brows.  I recommend investing in a dependable pair of eyebrow scissors (once again I recommend Tweezerman’s Eyebrow Scissors).  From the start of your brow to your arch brush the hair up, trimming any excess while keeping in mind the shape of your brow.  Do the same thing again, this time brushing your hair down.  I do not advise trimming the hair beyond your arch, as it is often more sparse than the start of your brow.

8. Congratulations, you’ve just tweezed your eyebrows the way it is meant to be done!  Now put the tweezers down, dab a little astringent over the entire brow area to close your pores, fill in any holes or bald spots you may encounter, and step away from the mirror.  You MUST not fall victim to the overtweezing trap, so run away from the mirror now and call some friends, you need a night on the town cause you look hot!

Many women come to the realization that as much as they would love to grow out their eyebrows, they simply cannot.  Do not fret.  There are a million different products out there at all price points specifically designed to fill in brows.  From powder, to pencil, to gel…you name it, its out there. 

Eyebrow Powder: Gives the most natural look.  Try Lancome Brow Powder and Pomade, or just use an eye shadow that matches your hair color.

Eyebrow Pencil: Eyebrow pencils can tend to look harsh, so make sure you are using a sharpened tip at all times, short soft strokes also help to look more natural.  Try YSL Dessin des Sourcils or Cle de Peau eyebrow pencil (it’s a little more expensive, but one of the best).

Eyebrow Gel: Eyebrow gels are really only necessary for unruly eyebrows.  They come in clear or colored versions, however the colored versions don’t offer much coverage.  In my experience I only use a gel once I’ve filled my brow in with something else so I know I won’t have any hair mishaps throughout my day.

**For light blond brows I have really come to love Benefit’s Instant Brow Pencil in light to medium, as it looks very natural and slightly darkens the brow to better frame the eye.

As Benefit Cosmetics would say, those are only “fake its”.  There are a few “fix its” worth trying as well.

The natural route: Rub a dab of caster oil into your brow each morning and night, massaging it into your skin for a couple minutes after each application.

Modern day medicine: Try a minoxidil topical solution (like Rogaine), apply with a cotton swab to your brow area.

Cosmetic surgery: Cosmetic Surgeons can perform hair transplants to the eyebrow area.  This procedure takes several months and can be pricey.

No-duh: Take Vitamins!

So I’ve provided a good start to your perfect eyebrows, however, if you have any questions, or are confused about any point I’ve made (lets face it, I’m drinking wine while I’m writing this, so it might get a little cloudy!) please do not hesitate to ask me anything!  Stay fabulous ladies, stay inspired:)