Eyebrow Extensions - Game Changer!

On my first date w/ my boyfriend he commented that I had amazing brows.  I was happy as EVERY makeup artist is pretty much obsessed w/ brows and it's basically like giving one of the biggest compliments ever lol BUT I also felt a tinge of deceit b/c they weren't really my brows.  I mean they were of course but I filled them in quite a bit to get the shape and arch I liked...w/out makeup they were definitely not the well sculpted pieces of work above my eyes lol!

Years of over tweezing and waxing in the 90s (when thin brows were in...the last time, hopefully forever thin brows will be in lol) had left my sad little brows w/ holes and starting to far apart.  Now my brows weren't awful and since becoming a makeup artist I've definitely learned how to fix them and make them acceptable on a daily basis but of course that required makeup so it kind of excluded me from things like "no makeup" pics...w/out thinking I looked awful of course lol...I even filled them in if I was going swimming or on vacation backpacking.  Literally, even if I wasn't going to wear makeup I would still fill in my brows lol!

So when I heard about eyebrow extensions two weeks ago for the first time on Instagram I pretty much jumped for joy!  Immediately I started looking up where in Toronto I could get this magic service!  That's when I found Winks Eyelash Boutique in Yorkville (very close to me - bonus!)  I reached out to Winks and asked if it was possible to maybe try out brow extensions in exchange for a blog review (hey it has its benefits being a blogger ;) ) and they immediately responded saying Yes and on top of that they would give me lash extensions too! Bonus!!  Apparently they've been big in Europe for awhile but are just gaining popularity in North America now...I don't know what took us so long lol!

So on Weds I went to Winks for my appt.  Mei applied my eyelash and eyebrow extensions and she was friendly and answered all of my questions and helped me decide which lashes would be best for me.  I had had lash extensions before but this was actually a much more relaxing experience for me. She gave me a neck pillow and the chair reclined slightly so it was all very relaxing.  Plus, I don't know if she was just more gentle than the last person but my eyes weren't sore like last time during and after which was definitely a good thing!

Mei did my lashes first and she was very quick and gave me a very nice (not too insanely dramatic) lash w/ a sort of cat eye effect which is what I like when I wear false lashes too!  I do like lash extensions but for myself personally they aren't something I'd keep up all the time.  I naturally have pretty long lashes and I'm very good at putting on false lashes so I just don't personally see the point for the cost but I would consider them before a vacation or if I was getting married or something.  I definitely do understand why some ppl get them all the time though...especially ppl w/ short/sparse lashes like a lot of Asian girls.

But the BROW EXTENSIONS!!! That's something I might just keep up with!  Basically I have my dream right now!  Brows that don't need to be filled in and are naturally arched!  I really couldn't be happier about the whole thing!  As someone who has struggled with her brows for years this literally was a revelation for me.

As I mentioned before I don't have the worst brows and I do actually have brow hair it's just they start too far apart and they need filling a bit on the end and underneath to create the arch.  This actually makes the brow extensions easier for me b/c they can be attached to the hair I actually do have as well as to the skin in spots where there is no hair.

Brow extensions are not the same hair as lash extensions btw.  They are shorter and finer and of course come in a variety of colours to match your own brows.  Mine are dark brown.  They are very similar to lash extensions in how you care for them though.  You shouldn't get them wet for the first 24 hrs and you can't use oil makeup removers on them b/c they will deteriorate the glue. They will unfortunately need more maintenance then lash extensions (fills every 2 wks most probably) b/c often they are attached to the skin and not just the hair that is already there making them a little more delicate and not as "stuck" as lash extensions.

I'm not going to lie I do feel like I have/want to be pretty delicate with them.  If you are someone who rubs their eyes or brow area a lot lash and brow extensions wouldn't be good for you.  I'd also be very careful when washing your face.  I use to scrub my face in the shower but while I have these I'll only wash my face at my sink where I can look in the mirror and be precise were I'm washing and scrubbing so I can avoid the brow area b/c I do think they could fall out pretty easily :(

Because they require a bi-monthly maintenance they definitely aren't the cheapest beauty habit to keep up but if you're someone like me who is very obsessed with their brows and don't mind indulging in a little beauty luxury then you might find the cost worth it.  The results really are insane no one would know they aren't your brows trust me!

Cost varies at different places of course and I imagine it probably varies depending on the amount of reconstruction work has to go into the brows - whether it's just filling in holes or basically constructing a whole new brow for a client.  But it's definitely a beauty trend I'm happy to have discovered and keep up with!

Thanks again Winks Eyelash Boutique I couldn't be happier w/ the results!  Can't wait to share this info w/ my clients!

My "Before" Brows & Lashes...see not the worst brows my any means but not great!  Excuse my giant pores...as you guys know I DO NOT have great skin lol!

Not gonna lie...kinda glad my eyes are taped shut otherwise this might freak me out lol!

Lashes done and looking gorgeous!...next up I need to do something about those pores ugh lol!  But I do like to convince myself that my oily skin is keeping me young looking at least lol!

Completed brows!  Wow So NATURAL looking!

Before & After Shot of Brows & Lashes

Completed Day Look the next day w/ better lighting and makeup ;) lol

A History in my Brows + Anastasia Product Review

I recently had the pleasure of receiving some Anastasia products to review.  I was really excited to review these products b/c I'll admit it I'm a bit obsessed w/ brows.  For years I've had a Love/Hate relationship w/ my own brows and it's finally come around like many relationships to an acceptance of their limitations and appreciation for their strengths.

My relationship w/ my own brows goes all the way back to my childhood when many in my family use to refer to them as "Brooke Shield brows" (how I wish I could still claim this title now).  They were full, dark and I'll admit were more one than two separate entities.  I first got my brows waxed at the tender age of 11...after what felt likes years of teasing from not only my family but ppl at school as well.  I didn't get them shaped or anything like that, just the middle section waxed so that I would have two brows.  Really I should have stopped at that!

What happened in the years to come is unfortunate at best.  As w/ many women and their brows they don't realize when to stop.  During high school (and this was the mid to late 90s...thinner brows were in) I started getting more and more of my brows taken off.  I don't know how it happened and really a good brow person should have stopped me (but that's the case w/ a lot of waxers they don't always have a good eye for brows or proper shape) but my brows started to get further and further apart and thinner and thinner.

In actuality speaking as a professional makeup artist I'm now not even a big fan of brow waxing and prefer tweezing as it's more precise...it's too easy to get wax in just the wrong area and rip off half a brow...or even just a couple of important hairs!  I think waxing can be good for bigger areas like the middle but when we're getting into the arch tweezing all the way!

By university I'll admit it, I was addicted to tweezing my brows and was left w/ what I refer to as two upside smiles/frowns above my eyes...and to think I started w/ a unibrow!  By the end of university I was aware my brows weren't good but I just didn't know how to fix them.

It wasn't until I entered Makeup school that I learned how to bring my brows (at least half way) back from the dead.  It literally took about 6 hard mths of no tweezers and just letting those babies grow.  I let my teacher clean them up during the first couple of mths but other than that I left them alone.  I mean how can anyone really trust a makeup artist w/ bad brows anyway...it's literally one of the most important features on the face and probably the one most civilians give the least credit to.  Plus how would any client trust me w/ their brows if mine were jacked up!  The brows are also the area I have the most trouble convincing clients to "fix".  I can't tell you how many times a client has "freaked out" over seeing their brows properly filled in...insisting they look too big or dark...really they just need to adjust and get use to it and in fact I've helped shape their eyes so much better (and it looks a million times better in pics).

Back to my brows - unfortunately, all those years of over tweezing had left my once luscious brows sparser in areas then before...the front in particular.  But I will say I did recover better than some.  My brow hair is naturally very dark (much darker than  my natural hair colour) and pretty coarse and dense so the brows I do have left aren't "too bad".  To see them not filled it isn't great...I try to comfort myself w/ the fact that  a lot of ppl's natural brows that haven't been over tweezed aren't great w/out being filled in too.  Once filled in they aren't bad...they have a nice arch to them and are a med full shape which I think is good for my facial features.  I think overall they are pretty balanced and even so all is not lost...and it just goes to show that everyone can get awesome brows if they shape them and fill them in properly...which leads in nicely to my review for

The Beauty Express Kit for Brows and Eyes!

The kit comes in this cute little box w/ two brow colours for mixing and blending so you can adjust the shade for your brows, a wax to help hold unruly brows in place, two neutral eyeshadows for highlighting your newly coiffed and shaped brows, an angle brush for precise powder application and eyebrow stencils in a variety of shapes and sizes to help get the perfect brow for you!  There are also instructions inside on how to use everything to get the perfect brows.

I was a bit worried at first that even the Brunette powders wouldn't be dark enough for my brows b/c they are very dark but luckily that was not the case at all.  In fact the I still had to adjust using the lighter shade mixed w/ the darker shade (specifically in areas on my brows that are already dense and don't need a lot of powder, the darker shade came in handy though in areas that were more sparse like the front).  What's funny is on clients I always use brow powders but on myself I actually use pencils usually so it actually took a little practice at first to use the angle brush on myself and adjust how much product I actually needed lol.  To be honest my brows aren't unruly so I didn't use the wax but it looks like it would be good for holding brows in place.  I did like the two shadows that came w/ the kit...they were very neutral but the one colour is esp. nice as a highlight under the brow bone which accentuates the arch area.  When it came to the stencils I'll be honest I didn't LOVE them for my brows...but I also think that's b/c my brows in reality just need some light filling in.  I think they would work MUCH better for someone who has almost no brows as it would help give them guidelines and help them create "something out of nothing" and symmetrical brows or someone who likes a very dramatic look w/ their brows as I find stenciling can often look a bit "strong" and maybe a bit "too perfect" if that makes sense.  I did find them a bit long (like the cut out brows in the stencils themselves were long)...or maybe my brows are just short.

Right now they only have the express kits in Blonde and Brunette and I think they should expand into Redheads b/c A LOT of the redheads I work w/ have sparse or very light brows that need filling in.  

Here's some pics of my Brows in various stages w/ a full face of makeup: Natural, Filled in w/ Powder, Filled in w/ Powder using a Stencil - Med Arch and Petite Arch.

Natural Brows

See they aren't HORRIBLE...and to a lot of ppl this is how they walk around everyday...or w/ even less.  A lot of ppl might not even notice anything wrong w/ them.  To me they look very unfinished lol!

Filled in w/ Powder from the Beauty Express Kit

To me this just looks SO MUCH more POLISHED!  It really finishes the look, the arch looks natural, brows are a good fullness for my face and they bring attention to my eyes!  In truth it's just a bit of powder and an angle brush but look at the difference it makes!

Using the Stencils from the kit and filled in w/ Powder from the kit - Medium Arch

I personally just think this is too much for my face and now my brows are overwhelming my features.  It's not horrible but it's too much for me.  I used the Medium arch stencil which was actually the best fit for my brows w/ the hair I do have.  The issue for me isn't the thickness as they aren't actually that much thicker than my brows in the pic above.  It's that the stencil was to big for my eye...seriously I didn't even use it all and still I found it too big.  I don't think I have overly small eyes or eyebrows either (in length).  

Using the Stencils from the kit and filled in w/ the Powder from the Kit - Petite Arch

So this is def. a better fit for my features then the Med Arch which was way too strong.  I def. think this looks passable but I should mention that after the stencils I did always fix it up a bit as I didn't find my brows came out "perfect" just using the stencils.  What I find funny is that this is the smallest of the stencils and I actually know a lot of clients have MUCH smaller brows then mine and definitely thinner...if I was to use this on them they would think it was too thick but I think it's a good fit for my face. I still prefer when I filled my brows in myself w/out the stencil but that just might be b/c that's what "I'm use to" like a lot of my clients who think it looks crazy when I fill in their brows.

As mentioned before I think the stencils would work well if you have VERY large eyes or can handle a long brow OR if you have almost no natural brows or VERY light, sparse brows b/c then you can just construct the shape and size you want.  They come in 5 different sizes: Petite Arch, Med Arch, High Arch, Slim High Arch and Full Arch.

The second product I received was Lash Genuis which is a Clear Waterproof Topcoat for Mascara.  Usually for clients I just keep Waterproof mascara in my kit to be honest but this would be good for ppl who's favourite mascara doesn't come in waterproof but they need to "waterproof" their eyes for an event or outing.  In general it's actually not good to wear waterproof mascara ALL the time and some find waterproof mascara dry or clumpy so actually this would be a good product to have on hand for those occasions when waterproof mascara was called for ie. wedding, pool party etc and it promises to deliver waterproof results w/out the clumping or drying of many other waterproof mascaras.  It's also Dermatologist Tested, Hypoallergenic, Fragrance Free and Paraben Free which are all good things when we're talking about products for the eyes!

The Importance of a Good Brow!

I don't know if you guys have realized this about me but I'm a bit brow obsessed...partially b/c I don't naturally have the best brows in the world anymore (women PLEASE I beg you DO NOT over tweeze!) and partially b/c they really do frame the eye and are such an important but often overlooked feature on the face.

It's like I was saying before w/ guys and makeup when something is good and done well like a good shaped brow you don't even really notice it you just notice that that person has great features but when someone has messed up brows (we've ALL seen them) you notice right away and you realize how much it messes up the balance and aesthetic of the over all face.

For me it's even more so...like I'm seriously brow obsessed when working on clients and looking at ppl in general.  I ALWAYS notice the brows!  Whenever I have someone w/ good brows sitting in my chair I make sure to tell them and say DON'T ruin your brows they are AMAZING!  Whenever I have someone w/ sad little over plucked brows I don't hold back either and I will politely suggest that they might want to try growing them in a bit b/c it would help shape their eye better.

On a side note one of the biggest ways to see how good a makeup artist is IMO is check out their work w/ brows in their portfolio.  Newbies often forget about them or neglect them but will still do a very strong smokey eye and w/out the brows filled in a bit it just looks unfinished or they will go the opposite way and shade them in too dark or just not understand what needs to be filled in and what needs to be left alone to make a nice, balanced shape on the face.

There's also a lot of different products on the market for filling in brows and really it does come down to a matter of preference.  It's funny b/c on my own brows I often use a brow pencil but on clients I NEVER use a pencil and pretty much stick to brow powders...this is also b/c I don't like to carry around a lot of loose pencils in my kit...I almost never use lip liner either believe it or not.   There are also various waxes and brow gels that can also be used to fill in the brows.

So anyway, getting down to business.  Anyone who knows anything about brows has probably heard of Anastasia - the brow guru of Hollywood and beyond...if you haven't heard of her what rock have you been living under lol!  Seriously, her reputation is intense and her client list includes ppl like Oprah, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez just to name a few...umm that's some pretty big names w/ even BIGGER standards!

I got an email yesterday asking me if I wanted to review Anastasia's Beauty Brow Express Kit and of course being the brow freak I am I jumped at that opportunity.  So in the next couple of wks look out for my review on the Beauty Brow Express Kit and until then enjoy this little tutorial from Anastasia herself on what you need to do a great brow!

"Beauty Express" brow-kit instructional video from Anastasia Beverly Hills on Vimeo.