Okay, so we’ll start off with a little background first.  I used to have really, thick eyebrows back before I began plucking and threading them.  Fast forward to the present, my brows are okay, they’re not anorexic or anything, but I do wish that they were a bit thicker.  But what I’m really concern about, it I think they my eyebrows are now too far apart.  So in order to get my brows a little bit closer together and a bit thicker, I’ve put away my tweezers and cancelled my standing threading/waxing appointments and busted out various brow growth enhancing products (which I’ll review later).  So here’s the conundrum, I want to let my eyebrows go ungroomed and I did for awhile, but I don’t want to look like a hot mess when I go out – yes I’m a bit vain. I couldn’t tweeze and risk damaging the hair follicles, so I figured razor blade should do the trick.  My friend’s dad used to say that we shouldn’t tweeze our brows, and to use a razor blade instead since one day fuller brows might come back in vogue – I really should have listened…sigh.

I picked up a pack of Ardell Brow Trim & Shape Grooming Tool hoping that it would be the answer to my prayers.  The price is great – it’s cheap, you gotta love that.  The colors are fun and pretty.  The easy grip handles are great.  The only bad thing about them, though, would have to be that their blades are dull – too dull to be effective.  And really, the whole point of the product is to remove hair, but the blades are so dull that they can’t properly cut the hair.  It’s really too bad, the product would have rocked if only the blades were sharp.

Grade: D

I really wanted to like Lierac Aqua D+ Multivitamine Refreshing Cream Gel.  I really, really did.  And it wasn’t because the sales girl told me that it was Brad and Angie’s moisturizer of choice when she was trying to make the sale.  I’ve heard good things about the moisturizer.  It’s full of vitamins and is formulated with Pro-D Actif and Red Orange extract.  Plus at $40 a pop, it’s pretty affordable as far as moisturizers go.

Unfortunately, it didn’t agree with my skin.  At first it worked it fine, but after a couple use I began to breakout.  So that was the end of the relationship between me and my once coveted Lierac moisturizer.

Grade: F

I’m in a grey phase right now.  I noticed that the other day when I went shopping the other day, everything I picked up was grey.  So it was no surprise that I was instantly drawn to OPI’s new color, You Don’t Know Jacques!  Part of the OPI’s French Collection, You Don’t Know Jacques is a grayish taupe color (although my Mom thinks it’s a murky brown).  The color went on great.  It’s incredibly sophisticated and chic.

I’m not one to shy away from dark shades, in fact I love dark shades, but if you are, don’t worry about this color.  It has a certain warmth to it that makes it much more neutral than its darker counterparts.  The color also great because it works for all skin tones.

There is a downside though.  The consistency is kind of thin and it’s a bit streaky.  You probably need at least three coats.

But you know I’m not the only one that has fallen in love with grey this season, it seems that the fashion world has as well.  So give this color a try, you’ll be sure to get loads of compliments.

It looks like the cult favorite, Nars Orgasm, has some competition in the new kid on the block, Super Orgasm.  Everyone knows Nars’s Orgasm, it’s the blush that every beauty guru has in her makeup bag, the one that beauty editors have proclaim as universally flattering shade.  A shade that brings out a sexy flush to your cheeks (and not just from the name) mimicking a boom-chicka-wah-wah glow.  With Super Orgasm, Nars turned the classic, best-selling blush up a notch.  

Now, like the original Orgasm, the Super Orgasm is described as a shimmery peach pink blush with golden fleck of glitter.  Both blushes, like all other blushes from Nars, has a silky texture and color that is able to last all day long.  But Nars didn’t just create an identical blush to Orgasm and just slapped on the Super in front, there are significant differences between the two.  Super Orgasm is a more amped up version of the it’s predecessor. 

Compare to the original, Super Orgasm is more rich and pigmented.  The color is darker and has more of a red tone to it than Orgasm.  So for those people out there that found that the Orgasm color just didn’t do anything for you, give Super Orgasm a try.  

But there is one major flaw with Super Orgasm in my opinion and it’s name is glitter.  The glitter in Super Orgasm just doesn’t work for me.  It’s big, chunky, and unevenly shaped.  It’s just not flattering, unless you want that disco ball look.  Because of the glitter and the intensity of the pigmentation, you can’t use a heavy hand when applying this blush.

Super Orgasm does have it’s saving grace though.  It looks spectacular in pictures.  Even though in person, the glitter might appear obvious, it’s certainly not the case when photographed.  Cheeks appear dewey and not disco ball like at all, which is great.

Bottom line: I think I’ll be sticking to Nars Orgasm for now.  Super Orgasm is great for accenting the cheeks, so I’ll probably use in every once in awhile, especially when I know I’ll be in front of the camera.  But I’ll just use it as an accent and swirl some on the apples of my cheeks for the soft dewy appearance.  

Nars Orgasm: B+

Nars Super Orgasm: C

(Nars’s Super Orgasm on the left and Orgasm on the right)

So last Halloween I finally succeeded in putting on false lashes myself.  Don’t get me wrong, I love false lashes – actually I love anything to do with lashes: falsies, mascara, extensions – I could just never put them on myself.  But everything changed when I picked up Sephora Lash Placement Kit.  It made putting on false lashes a breeze.  

The soft rubber tip of the clip easily grips the lashes, so that you can precisely place them along your lash line.  And it’s oh so easy to do so.  First of all, place the lashes on the stand – there’s two grooves on each side to place each lash.  Then gently grip the lashes at the lash line, and apply a thin line of lash glue to the band.  Let it dry for a few seconds before pressing the applicator on the lash line.  And it’s just as easy to remove, simply grasp the lashes and pull from the inside out.  Store the lashes on the stand so that it retains the its natural curve.  

So the lash clip and the little kick stand look a little funky – but hey as long as it works right?  I found to clip to be quite useful, and best of all, it’s only $10!  Looks like I’m going to be wearing false lashes more often, all thanks to the handy Sephora Lash Placement Kit.

 Being a student, I often pull all nighters.  I’m sorry to say that that does happen quite often for me, since I am a procrastinator.  So when it happens that I don’t get all my hours of beauty sleep, I pull out Bobbi Brown’s creamy concealer kit.  It works wonders.  My eyes are suddenly bright and no one can that I haven’t slept for what seems to be days.   The concealer is yellow-based, so it instantly camouflages dark circles.  Another aspect that I love is the packaging.  The creamy concealer sits on the top and the loose powder is on the bottom.  So you have everything you need all in one nifty package, concealer to conceal and powder to set.  Bobbi Brown offers 12 different shades, so it wouldn’t be hard to find your match.  The concealer also contains vitamin A to minimize the look of fine dry lines and wrinkles as well as vitamin E to moisturize and protect.  You can also view an instructional video on Bobbi Brown’s site on how to properly apply concealer.  For $32, you can’t go wrong.  Trust me, I introduced this to one of my many cousins a few years ago and she still swears by it to this very day.

I’ve always loved the idea of color contacts. Changing your eye color for a day, week, or more has always been intriguing. But it has never been properly executed – at least not on me. Don’t get me wrong, there are people out there who can wear color contacts and have it come off as natural (I’m so jealous of those people). In my case, though, it has never happened. I tried Freshlook color contacts way back in the day (high school, to be exact) and once again last year. In both instances, it didn’t look natural; far from it, I looked possessed. Even though it was Halloween at the time, I wasn’t going for the possessed look. Hopefully, in the future I can find some color contacts that work for me.

During the daytime, more often than not, I go au naturel – my face that is.  A fact that stems more from my laziness than actual confidence in my complexion.  If I do wear makeup, it’s usually minimal at best.  I forgo foundation, opting to merely use concealer to cover up some unfortunate, uneven pigmentation (thanks acne!), a couple swipes of mascara, and some lip balm.  Therefore, a great concealer is an essential component of my beauty arsenal.

Upon the recommendations of various professional makeup artists, I decided to pick up a tube of Clé de Peau concealer to try for myself.   I immediately fell in love.  It was everything I was looking for in a concealer; it’s thick, creamy, luxurious, and moisturizing.  Best of all, it glides on smoothly, and it never creases nor gets cakey.  Most importantly, it provides an excellent flawless coverage.  It’s not surprising why it has won so many accolades as well as being a staple on the In Style’s Best Buys year after year.  And now it’s a staple in my makeup bag as well.

However, it does have some downsides.  First off, because it is so thick, you should use it sparingly.  So remember: blend, blend, blend.  When using as an under-eye concealer, because skin there is more thin, be careful not to over apply.  Secondly, the price.  A tube of Clé de Peau concealer will set you back a whopping $68.  Yes, it is quite pricey, but since a little goes a long way with this concealer, it really last forever.  That, in conjunction with the fact that it really does work, makes the concealer worth every penny.  Available for purchase at Saks, Neiman Marcus, and Barney’s.