Brow-zing! Chella brow products

Chella title

I’ve always been that girl that has been blessed in the brow department. When I was younger, I had the bushiest brows (never a full unibrow though, phew!), and after years of getting them waxed and plucked, they are finally a shape that I can maintain.  I do my own brows and usually will just tweeze them for upkeep.  I like the shape of them and for the most part, they are pretty low maintenance.

Because I don’t have thin brows I didn’t really think about ever filling them in, I mean why would I?  Well, a year or so back, after I started blogging, I thought I would just start filling in the top parts where it is a bit sparse at times.  Also, my left brow’s tail is a bit shorter than my right one, so I would extend it out a bit to make it even.  I started off with powder (love Buck from the Urban Decay Naked palette) and gradually I started playing around with other formulas like pencils and gels.

I was obsessed with the Sleek Brow Kit that I picked up in London, but then at the London Drugs Beauty Event last month there was a company there that I had never heard of. Chella is a company based in the U.S that specializes in brows, lashes and skin care.  We got a goodie bag of their products at the event (the brand will be launched in LD stores soon!) that included their eyebrow pencil, gel, highlight, pencil sharpener, and a heated eyelash curler.

I’m all for trying new products, but usually after a couple tries, I graduate onto something new and it gets lost in my makeup collection. Not these products.  The pencil, gel, and highlight have been my recent go-to brow routine ever since I got the products in the middle of June.  In fact, in the past month, I think there have been only a handful of days where I haven’t reached for them.

quarter final brows

As you can see, my brows don’t need too much help.  I just fill in the tops, apply the highlight pencil on top and below to sculpt (this thing is serious a must-have, use it as an inner-eye highlight as well!), blend it in, and then use the gel to set it all in place (my brow hairs can tend to get long and messy), and that’s it.

Final

Through my years of blogging, I have come across many different brow products and although I would definitely recommend some more than others, the ones from Chella are seriously a force to be reckoned with.  I was even thinking if you had to pick just one, I can’t even choose.  Obviously the pencil would be first priority, but I seriously have been loving the three products together, they make such a nice combo that if brows are a major issue for you, give these a try, you’ll love them.

What are your must-have brow products?

Please note, these products were provided by PR.

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OMG! Sally Hansen releases Miracle Gel, cure-free gel polish

SH title I have a love-hate relationship with gel polish.  I love the shiny look of gel nails, the fact that they harden my natural nails, and obviously the long wear time on them.  The hate part is that it’s quite a process and let’s not forget the dreaded removal process.  Acetone remover, plus tinfoil, plus scraping equals a pain in my side.

It seems like the trend right now with a lot of different brands is cure-free “gel” polish.  Revlon has a line, CND has a line, CoverGirl has a line, and now Sally Hansen will be releasing their line next month.  Available in over 45 shades, Miracle Gel is billed as the only true two-step gel manicure with no light needed. This line consists of colour and the special topcoat (which comes in a black bottle, apparently you know it’s a true gel topcoat if it comes in a black bottle) and promises a 14-day wear.  Best of all, you can use any polish remover to get rid of it, AKA no more tinfoil!

Polishes

I received the topcoat, as well as the colour Electra-Cute, a summery orange shade, to try out before it launches next month.  I’m already a huge fan of Sally Hansen polishes so I was super pumped to get my little hands on this.  I painted my nails last Thursday and so far, they have held up quite well except for my right thumb and right index finger, both of which chipped.  With that being said, I have been having issues with my nails peeling lately, so I’m pretty sure my nail just peeled, taking the colour with it, I don’t think it was the polish’s fault.

I didn’t quite get to the 14-day mark with perfect chip-free nails, instead, it held up for six days, which isn’t too bad, and much longer than your regular polish.  Do I like it better than gel?  No.  If I was looking for longevity, I would still stick with a gel polish, and most of all, if I was looking to grow my nails out, which is often why I paint a gel on, I would opt for that route as well. I find that gels harden my nails, and as I mentioned, my nails have been peeling, so if I want them to grow, I often will paint a gel.  Sure, the removal process is a pain, but I often can have them on for a week and a half to two weeks, so it makes it worth it.  I also love the glossy finish they leave my nails, and let’s not forget the fact that you are out the door in no time flat, since there isn’t any drying time.

Swatched

I do think the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel is a great product, and perfect for those who want their polish to last more than a few days.  I have a couple at-home gel kits, which are usually quite pricey to buy, so if you were looking for a great alternative, I would give these a try. A lot of people have compared these to CND’s Vinylux products, which bill a 10-day wear, and I have tried that line, but I have to say, I like the Sally Hansen version more.  I find Vinylux to be a bit thin and it usually chips on me by the next day.

As mentioned, with over 45 shades to choose from, there are more than a couple that have caught my eye, and no doubt anyone can find a shade that will impress them.

Are you excited to try Sally Hansen’s Miracle Gel?

Please note, I was sent this product from PR.  All opinions are my own.

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Tahitian sunset: how to incorporate orange into your look

Title

When it comes to summer colours, blues and oranges are usually my go-tos. I’ll stick with a pop of blue on the eyes and then orange on the lips. Although blue may not be the most flattering colour for your lips, you can totally rock orange on your eyes too.

I have been wearing this look for a few days now because I love how orange just makes everything pop. The trick is to place the orange colour in your crease as your transition colour.  Place a brown on top and then a gold in the eyes and you have the most beautiful, wearable summer eye.

Final 2
Steps

1. Place a nude eyeshadow base on your eye area (I used MAC Nubile Paint Pot), fill in your brows, and then place a white colour on your brow bone, acting as your highlight.  Any white colour works; I chose this white matte shade from the NYX Dream Catcher palette.

2. With an orange shadow, this one is from the Ultra Suede Eyeshadow Trio from Vincent Longo, place this right underneath the highlight using a fluffy crease brush.

3. I forgot to take a photo of this step, but using a copper eyeshadow (I used the copper shade from the CoverGirl quad used in step six), apply this in your crease.  Then, with a gold colour (shown), apply this on your lid area.  The gold eyeshadow is from a trio from Yves Rocher’s new summer collection.

4. Line your upper lash line, slightly winging it out, then apply a couple coats of mascara.  I used Benefit’s They’re Real Push-Up Liner and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara.

5. With a matte brown (I used the brown colour from the CoverGirl quad), and a pencil brush, apply this in your crease lightly, then blend out.  The colour should be subtle.

6. To finish up the eyes, apply the matte brown along the lower lash line, then with a brown eyeliner (I used MAC’s Stubborn Brown), line your lower lash line halfway and then smudge it out.  Finish up the eye look with a coat of mascara to your lower lash line.

Final 1 For the rest of the face, I used Chella brow products, NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Vallauris,  IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye in Light, the Anastasia Contour Kit, NARS Madly blush, and Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in Coral Brittania, which will be launching with Rimmel’s fall 2014 releases.  I’m obsessed with this lipstick, it’s actually the perfect nude-coral shade ever.

And that’s the final look.  Super easy and best of all, the orange is so subtle that it’s not scary, but instead, totally wearable.  I think that an orange eyeshadow should be a staple in everyone’s makeup collection this summer.

How do you wear orange?

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