Friday Fave! Ardell Stroke a Brow feathering Pen.

I have been testing the Ardell Brow pen recently and I find it really easy to use and great to achieve either a naturally defined brow or a full strong brow.

It is a fine tipped pen so that you can lightly feather strokes to the brows to achieve a defined shape.
The result is waterproof and smudge proof.  If you are looking to build up to a more 3D full brow effect wait for each layer to dry before simply adding more strokes.

There are four shades; Taupe, medium brown, dark brown, and soft black. I have been using taupe on myself which is the lightest shade.

Available at BeautyBay, Sally and Amazon.
RRP. Aprox. £7.49

Friday Fave! MAC Shape & Shade Brow Tint.

MAC Shape & Shade Brow Tint is my new favourite go-to product!

I have been using shade 'Fling' for about a month now and I absolutely love it!  I find it really easy to use and it creates natural long lasting defined brows effortlessly.

Dual-ended application.  Although I must admit I mostly just use the felt tip end and feel this is enough for me on its own.  One end consists of coloured powder on a small sponge applicator which you can apply to brows to fill in colour and set,  just using the felt tip end to draw on strokes of hair.  The pen is great if you have sparse brows, it mimics natural hair beautifully.

In my opinion it is the best brow product I have come across in a long time!

The results are also waterproof and long-wearing.

Available in seven shades.

£19.50 www.maccosmetics.co.uk

What is Microblading?

Microblading is the latest beauty innovation in the pursuit of perfect eyebrows.
A form of semi-permanent makeup, also known as "eyebrow embroidery".
It creates a more natural looking brow than original eyebrow tattooing.  This is achieved by cuts of pigment (vegetable dye) scratched into the epidermis of the eyebrow area using a fine 'scalpel- like' blade to create strokes of hair that look very realistic.
Anestheic cream is applied to the area before treatment so that it should not be a painful experience.
You will experience some initial redness in the area concerned, this will fade within a couple of hours. Be prepared for eyebrows to initially appear darker, a crust will form as the brow heals itself as this flakes off the colour will fade by 50%.  Every day you will need to apply a barrier cream which you will be given to stop infection and aid the healing process.  You will also be expected to have a retouch appointment 4-6 weeks after the initial treatment.
The procedure takes around one hour thirty minutes including initial measuring and marking out of the desired brow shape.  The results can last anywhere from 12-18 months, yearly touch up's are recommended to retain the shape and colour.
This treatment is ideal for anyone who wishes to enhance the appearance of their eyebrows or suffer from any condition that results in hair loss such as alopecia. The procedure is expensive and research should be done thoroughly before choosing the microblading semi-permanent artist for you.

Examples are below to show some of the results of microblading, these are taken from the web.

Product Alert: Maybelline Brow Drama!

Maybelline Brow Drama is my new make-up favourite!

A firm staple in my make-up bag this is going to be one of those products that I will use for a long time.

I have used clear mascara/brow gel to groom my brows for too many years to remember now but recently much to my annoyance a lot of brands have changed their applicator wands, Boots No.7 being one of them. These new shorter brushes I do not personally favour as much as a normal mascara wand as you simply get too much product on the brush and it therefore distributes unevenly in the brows.

Normal mascara brush example.

No.7 New Short applicator brush.

Maybelline however, has this wonderful brush which delivers the perfect amount of product and grooms through brows to complete perfection!

It comes in colour options as well as transparent including 'deep blonde', 'medium brown' and 'dark brown'.

Available at Boots RRP. £4.99

Beauty Advent

A little Christmas fun! My Pro' make up and beauty tips, a new tip every day until Christmas Eve.  Enjoy!

Dec' 13th

Use a clear eyebrow gel after you have filled in brows with colour to define them.  Use the eyebrow gel to brush the brows in an upwards direction then smooth over the top edge of the brow hair with a finger tip.  This will set brows holding them in a neat and tidy shape and will add a subtle, healthy sheen to brow hair.

I like to use Boots No.7 Brow gel or MAC Brow set.

Make up lessons are available at www.nikimakeup.co.uk