Hey everyone, welcome back to my blog! Today, I will be doing a deep dive into lashes; An element of your appearance that can truly elevate your makeup game and overall physical appearance. Whether you prefer to wear your natural lashes, semi-permanent lashes, strip lashes, mascara, or get your lashes professionally done, this post is for you.

Lashes play a really pivotal role in shaping your face and overall appearance. They can frame your eyes in subtle or dramatic ways that can completely change a look. But how does one go about achieving these different styles or finding a method that works best for them? Here, I’ll be breaking down some of the most popular techniques, sharing tips, tricks, and product recommendations.

All-Natural

The first approach for lashes its simply to go natural! We have all been blessed with beautiful lashes. When making the choice to wear your natural lashes, the look will be generally more natural looking. For those insecure about their natural lashes (which you shouldn’t be!), utilizing lash serums is a great way to grow your lashes. Here are some amazing product recommendations I have used in the past, or heard great things about!

 

Mascaras

A low maintenance option is to make use of mascara. Various formulas available on the market that can increase your lash length, volume, thickens, and dramatic appearance of your lashes. As for choosing a mascara that works best for you I recommend selecting colors that look natural to your face (or dramatic to fit the occasion). Be sure to curl your lashes prior to applying mascara. Brands like Maybelline, L’Oreal, Too Faced, and Essence provide amazing options that accommodate for all budgets. Remember to apply coats in a neat way to prevent the product from crumbling and looking scary…

Semi-Permanent Lashes

Personally, these are my favorite approach to styling my lashes. There is A LOT of freedom and customization options with these options, with limited required maintenance, and generally low costs. The first option within this category is to work with a professional service to get lash extensions or a lash lift. These processes can involve attaching individual synthetic lashes onto your natural ones to create a fuller and longer appearance. There are many many options to customize this choice for your needs so , it can range from incredibly dramatic lashes to simple and natural appearing lashes.

The second approach to semi-permanent lashes includes at home (DIY) lash extensions. This system involves using a lash glue to attach individual clusters onto the upper lashes, followed my a seal to take away the tackiness of the glue and seal the lashes. Again, this option is one of my favorites and allows for customizability in the appearance of your lashes. Lash kits can be purchased at Walmart or Amazon and the application process is incredibly simple!

Ultimately, whether you’re opting for the long-lasting semi-permanent lashes, mascara, or your natural lashes, the world of lashes offers something for everyone and I hope this helped open your eyes to the multitude of options on the market.

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog!

In this post, I want to break down the first step of my makeup routine, brows!! While deemed as a skill that’s hard and difficult to master, I personally believe that with time, patience, and practice, everyone is capable of achieving consistent brow looks that flatter their face shape.

As the first step of a good makeup routine, brows really set the tone for the rest of the look and can either make or break the final product. For this reason, I want to begin with brow care and prep.

To maintain a proper, clean, and ‘tame’ look to the brows, there are many different approaches that people may utilize. For some, they may hire professionals to wax their eyebrows. This is a luxury-ish service that costs around $20. Another option is to thread the eyebrows, a technique that originates from eastern cultures in India and Iran. Another approach is to get your eyebrows laminated and/or tinted. This procedure semi-permanently laminates, shapes, and darkens the brows to make them appear thicker and crisper for about 4 to 6 weeks. With this technique, most people don’t need to do their eyebrows when they do their makeup. However, if you choose any of the other techniques or choose to let your brows grow out on their own, doing them with your makeup routine is a great option!

To achieve a flawless eyebrow routine, their are a few products that I would recommend:

1. A spoolie
2. A gel or pomade
3. A brow pencil that matches your brow color (be sure not to use black!)

As for recommendations for spoolies, anything will work. It doesn’t need to be high end or special, all spoolies do about the same thing, so save your money in this department. Anything from amazon, target, or even the free samples from Sephora or Ulta will work just fine!

As for the gel and pomade, this is a more crucial aspect of the final appearance. Ideally, you want a product that will secure your brows into place for the whole day, while not peeling up, causing white build up, or discoloration in your brows. While people have varying opinions on the best brow pomades, there are two top recommendations.

1. The ELF putty primer (about $6)
2. Anastasia Beverly Hills – Brow Freeze Gel (about $13)

Both of these products have good reviews and are well liked while being incredibly affordable options. I encourage you all to explore with a few products and determine which works best on your brows, but for me the ELF putty primer has been amazing!!

Finally, the final piece to tie together the brows is a thin and precise brow pencil. These help to add the illusion of additional brow hairs and can be used to make the brows appear darker in color. In this step, it is imperative that you select a brow color that matches your skin complexion and brows and isn’t too dark nor too light. 

Some of my favorite products and recommendations include:

1. NYX Micro Brow Pencil Vegan Eyebrow Pencil (about $11)
2. Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil (about $9)

Once again, these products are well liked and personal favorites of mine. I recommend giving them a try and finding one that works for you!

The application process of a good brow routine involves laying the brows down with a good gel being sure to shape them with a spoolie. Once the gel has dried and set to your liking, fill in the brows with thin strokes using the brow pencil. For a more detailed video click here.

Ultimately, brows really set the tone for your face, so I strongly encourage anyone intrested to give them a try. Most products are budget friendly and if you practice, you will get better!!

I hope y’all enjoyed!

– Yeems <3