Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow-Wiz Review: Holy Moly!

The heavens have spoken! I'm pretty sure God himself created the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. OMG, people! I'm in love.

 I'm a newbie when it comes to filling in eyebrows. Yes, it's sad, I know. I've naturally always had full brows, so I never really cared, honestly. However, I always felt like something was missing with my look. I decided to give it a go when I saw a tutorial video on YouTube. I'm an avid tutorial watcher, so comment your links below if you have any. 

Anywho, I went exploring at the drugstore because I didn't want to drop a ton of $$$ on a product that a) I didn't know how to use and b) I may never use again because like the first point, I didn't know what I was doing! HA Basically, all the products I found were bad quality, and more importantly, the wrong color. Sadly, drugstore brands typically only have eyebrow pencils and pomades in 3-4 different colors, and they never match just right. I needed to solve my problem, pronto. Do you know what the answer was? SEPHORA, baby! uhh, aka HEAVEN. A nice young lady that worked there helped me find the PERFECT color, and the perfect product. I am so impressed, and that's actually hard to do! Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil comes in NINE different colors, which makes it super easy to find the perfect match for you! The product goes on so smooth, and so easily. The product lasts ALL day, and it looks completely natural. I use a clear mascara to set the product and natural hairs in place, and it looks great. I am so pleased. This product is perfect for beginners, and even individuals who are experienced in the makeup world. The brow wiz is $21.00 at Sephora. It is a little pricey, but the pencil lasts forever, and other products simply cannot compete with the quality. 

If you're having trouble finding the right color, you're not satisfied with your current eyebrow game, or you want to try filling in your eyebrows for the first time, you should really give this product a try. You won't regret it, I pinky promise.

I hope each of you are having an amazing week. Marley and I love you dearly! Xoxo

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Color: Soft Brown

It is so sleek and slim. It fits easily in any makeup bag or purse. 

One end is the product that twists up. The lid fits nice and tight, so no worries about the product melting or getting ruined. 

This is one of my favorite things OF ALL TIME! This is the holy grail of spoolies. It is actually patented! The spoolie brushes the hair in place, and leaves them looking amazing, with a natural shape!

WHERE TO BUY/MEDIA: 

www.anastasiabeverlyhills.com

www.sephora.com

www.ulta.com

Facebook: ABH Cosmetics 

Twitter: @ABHCosmetics 

Instagram: @anastasiabeverlyhills 

Mid-Life Crisis and Regrets

In 10 days I will be 27 ... O-M-G! I've been reflecting a lot, and honestly, I've been comparing a lot, as well.  I've been comparing my life against the life of others close to me, and my regrets are haunting my thoughts daily.  I look at people, specifically females, and I compare, compare, compare.  She has a better job than me, she graduated college sooner than me, she is already married, she has children already .... WOMEN YOUNGER THAN ME.  I think, how did I get here, and why did I get here?  Why did I waste time?  Could I have made my life journey completely different? 

I am my own worst enemy, honestly.  But, the truth is, I am here for a reason.  I may not know the reason yet, or maybe I'll never know, but I've made it to 27.  When I look back four years, nine months, and 25 days ago, I am proud.  I'm proud that I'm a responsible adult now.  I'm proud that I'm graduating with my BSW SOON!  I'm proud that I'm in a healthy, loving relationship, and have been for almost two years.  I'm happy that I'm trustworthy, honest, and my heart is no longer blocked by hatred.  I'm proud that I can pay my bills on time, even my out-of-this-world car payment.  Yes, I have regrets - LOTS OF THEM, but I have grown into a woman that I could've only dreamed of almost five years ago.  I'm making a difference in the lives of recovering addicts, and that is a dream within itself.  The lessons that I have learned in my 27 years have given me a purpose. 

So, hello, 27.  I am scared, don't get me wrong, but I'll make it...  I always do. 

Marley and I love you dearly.  You will get to where you're meant to go when it's your time to get there.  Have a little faith in yourself.  XOXO.

Unbalanced Reality

In life it's really easy to let the negative outweigh the positive.  We often have an unbalanced reality of what's important:  70% the way we WISH things were, and 30% how things really are.  It's good to dream, wish, and hope, but it is important to be realistic, as well.  It's important to stop focusing your energy on one bad thing, and letting the other 10 good things slip through the cracks. 

For today, I am going to work on appreciating all of the wonderful blessings that I have right now in this moment.  I won't dwell on what I don't have, and/or may never have.  I am grateful, and I won't allow my mind to be 70/30 any longer. 

Drugstore Makeup Must-Haves!

I've said it before, and I will say it again ... I love expensive makeup. However, you know what I love even more? Cheap, drugstore makeup that works just as well OR even better than expensive makeup! I wanted to share a few of my current favorites! Just because something has an expensive price tag, that doesn't mean that it works really well. Just because something has a cheap price tag, doesn't mean that the product works like poo. No matter which price range you gravitate towards, have fun! The world of makeup is meant to be fun, so have fun exploring and creating. 

This is Maybelline's "the blushed nudes" pallet. The pigment is great, and you can do an everyday look, or a glamourous nighttime look. I bought this at Walmart for $9.99! 

This is Maybelline's Falsies Mascara in the color "blackest black." I love, love, love this! If you don't mind a little clump in order to get big, glamourous lashes, this mascara is for you! I bought this at Walmart for $5.79!

This is CeraVe's a.m. lotion. This is the holy grail of moisturizers if you have extremely dry skin. It's SUPER thick, but it works great on flaky skin. I bought this at Walmart for $10!

This is ELF's hydrating face primer. I've had bad luck with primers breaking my face out, or drying it out, but this works great! It hydrates, but also gives a matte finish. The price is amazing, too! I bought this at Walmart for $6!

This is Hard Candy's Fast & Fabulous clear mascara. You may be wondering, "uhh... Why clear?" This is what I use after filling in my eyebrows! It is just a clear coat, but it holds the product on there ALL DAY, and it holds all the natural hairs in place. I bought this at Walmart for $6! 

This is ELF's eye refresh. I use this to decrease puffiness and those yucky dark circles. The product is super smooth, and t can't be used under foundation or over foundation. Love that it has tons of natural ingredients, as well! I bought this at Walmart for $3!

This is ELF's mineral eye primer. I've used tons of eye primers, and this is just like the rest, except the price tag is WAY better! This works really well, and a tube this size will last forever! I bought this at Walmart for $1!!!!!

This is Maybelline's master drama in "midnight master." THIS IS THE HOLY GRAIL OF DRUGSTORE EYELINERS!!!!! It goes on SO smooth, and it would literally last for days. I would put this up against any high-dollar eyeliner. I bought this at Kroger for $6.99!

This is Covergirl's Clean Concealer in the color "light." I've used this since high school, and the only other company to compete against this for me is Mac. However, I'll buy the cheaper one, any day since it works just as well! Completely full coverage, and stays all day. I bought this at Walmart for $5.94!

Here's TWO of my favorite things: Marley and ELF's makeup mist and set spray. I've used many other setting sprays, and they all work the same, in my opinion. It has aloe, which helps with dry skin, as well. I bought this at Walmart for $3!

I hope everyone enjoyed my mini makeup blog! If you have any requests, let a sister know! As always, Marley and I love you dearly! When dealing with makeup, insinuate your features, don't hide who you are. You are perfect. Don't hide yourself. Xoxoxo 

Expectations = No Fun!

We have expectations for everything in life. We expect certain things in relationships, school, work, and life in general. We expect to be married by 25, we expect to get a bachelors degree in four years, we expect to retire by a certain age, and we expect HAPPINESS all the time. I am guilty of ALL of that. However, I've learned that I'm simply robbing myself of my own happiness. When I expect certain things from my relationship that I don't receive, I'm missing all of the other blessings that I've been given in my relationship. I'm ignoring the fact that God gave me my soulmate at 24 years old. When people expect to graduate in four years, they're missing all of the fun moments, and stressing about a tiny piece of control. Often we put unrealistic expectations out there, and that's not fair to others, or us. Breathe. Have a little faith. It's OKAY to not have control over everything - in fact, it's even a little fun. Everything will happen in due time. There will be ups and downs just like a roller coaster, but put your hands in the air and enjoy the ride. LIVE A LITTLE! I mean, REALLY live. 

As always, Marley and I love you dearly. 

We took a long walk yesterday, with zero expectations. It was truly one of the best days ever. 

Perfection ... Uh, no thank you.

I was having an interesting conversation with a co-worker today about perfection.  She consistently feels the need to be perfect in every way possible.  She wants to be a perfect mother, a perfect daughter, a perfect boss, and a perfect woman.  She won't walk outside without wearing a full face of makeup and her hair as high as the heavens, and I see that as a huge issue.  I see her beauty, and it speaks loudly.  It isn't the perfect smoky eye, or her skinny waist that I see.  Instead, I see her bright green eyes that tell the story of her soul.  I see the way she speaks so intelligently, and the way speaking about her son makes her light up.  It saddens me that any woman would feel less than, including myself.  It's human nature to feel like you're in a constant competition with others, but what if we changed that to being a competition with ourselves?  What if we woke up every day and put forth the effort to be better than yesterday?  That doesn't mean seeing 100 pounds on the scale, or having flawless skin.  It means being confident with oneself on the inside, at the root and core of who we are. 

At almost 27 years old I am perfectly okay with being imperfect.  I feel the most beautiful when I'm helping another, or when I get puppy kisses from my sweet Marley.  I feel beautiful through action, not words.  I know my boyfriend thinks I'm beautiful when he hugs me, kisses me, and holds my hand proudly in public.  Please stop expecting perfection, it's unrealistic.  What's realistic is being the best you that you can be TODAY - mentally, physically, and emotionally.  Don't ignore the other two factors just because society makes it a point to.  Who are they anyway? Our scars tell our stories, and our stories are important. I am proud of you, I love you, and you are BEAUTIFUL being the imperfect person that you are. 

I'm guilty, too.  Let's change together.

Kentucky Fried Hair

     People, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL RIGHT NOW.  Everyone has went to the salon and walked away wondering, "what the heck went wrong?"  Yeah, I get it.  Trust me, you get what you pay for, so pay the little extra to go to an applauded salon.  Lesson learned. 
     I went to get blonde highlights two weeks ago, and walked away with brown hair.  I walked away thinking, "did I mess up and say the word black?"  Did I say, "I love fried chicken, so fried hair sounds AWESOME, too!" NOT GOOD.  I lost three handfuls of hair during the rinse period, and I'm pretty sure a piece of my soul died and went with it.  I went to the next morning to get it fixed, but so much damage had already been done.  Eeeeek.  Keep in mind, my hair is my thing.  I'm a blonde, loud and proud.  My blonde fun-level was decreasing by the second, so that was task numero uno.  I am now "blonde" again, but memories of practically gray hair still haunt my mind, and my head. 
     We've all been there, whether we've just been dissatisfied, or we've walked away looking like a straight-up freak show.  I am now on the journey of rescuing my hair, so I thought I would offer some tips for those of you who are in the same boat, who will be in the same boat, or would just like extra healthy, shiny hair. 

TIP #1:  DO NOT take hot showers.  I REPEAT, TURN THE HOT WATER DOWN.  No sexy, steamy moments for you, sorry.  This is absolutely one of the WORST things you can do for your hair.  The heat opens the hair follicles, which makes the hair fall out.  The cooler, the better. Ice bucket challenge part two!
TIP #2:  DO NOT wash your hair daily, or even every other day if you can help it.  I know it's gross, so don't tell your significant other.  They'll never know.  Make dry shampoo your new best friend.  I use Dove dry shampoo, and it works great!  It smells yummy AND it gives lots of volume - double bonus! The higher the hair, the closer to Jesus you are. Boom.
TIP #3:  DO NOT use a brush to comb out your hair.  This is also one of the worst things that you can do.  Use a wide-tooth comb and start combing from the bottom, NOT the top.  If your hair tangles quite easily, use leave in conditioner or a detangle serum.  Heck, use the leave-in conditioner anyway! I lather it on like it's going out of style.  I use It's a 10 leave-in conditioner, and it's my holy grail  - not even kidding.
TIP #4:  STEP AWAY FROM THE HOT-TOOLS.  I am a curling iron FANATIC, so this has been a nightmare for me, but my hair is loving me for it.  If you must use any sort of hot-tool, such as:  blow-dryer, curling iron, flat iron, or etc, USE HEAT PROTECTANT!  I use Tresemme heat-protectant.  It's cheap, and it lasts forever! 
TIP #5:  Start taking Biotin, or any other form of a hair, skin, and nails supplement.  This has started working rather quickly for me, which has been much needed.  I take 5,000 MCG of Biotin, and the brand is Nature Made, which I bought at Kroger. 
TIP #6:  Invest in a good shampoo and conditioner.  This is EXTREMELY important.  DO NOT use a drugstore based shampoo and/or conditioner when trying to repair your hair.  The best tip I can give you is to go to either a salon or a business such as Sally's Beauty Supply that sells products that are typically sold in salons.  The key is to find a shampoo and conditioner that is made for hair reconstruction.  I use BedHead Resurrection.  It has worked WONDERFULLY.  There are places such as Kroger and Walmart that sell these specific products, but PLEASE do not buy them from there if you can help it.  I say this strongly because the products that they claim are these high-dollar hair products are typically tampered with in order for the product to be sold cheaper.  This may mean that they add water to the product in order to get more bang for their buck, or it's actually a completely different product within the bottle.  It is not safe when trying to repair your hair.  Take no chances.
TIP #7:  INVEST IN A PROTEIN HAIR MASK.  This is one of the most important things you can do for your hair in general, but definitely when your hair is damaged, broken, and dull.  I use Ion Effective Care, which I bought at Sally's Beauty Supply in my hometown.  It can also be bought online on their website.  I literally sleep in the protein mask, and then rise it out the next morning using my BedHead resurrection shampoo.  I use the mask 2x a week, and it has made a huge difference. 
TIP #8:  Become more aware of the products that you're using.  Be careful what you put on your hair, as less is definitely more when you're trying to repair your hair.  The key is to moisturize, not dry it out even more. 

     My thoughts are with you, and I'm happy to have you in my boat - well, not really, but it's nice to know that I'm not alone in the world of damaged hair.  No matter what, be confident, HAIR DOES GROW BACK, that's the beauty of it all.  It's okay to experiment and learn along the way.  It's fun!  You are beautiful, regardless.  Let your smile and your heart be the true definition of your beauty. 

As always, Marley and I love you very much.  Have a safe Memorial Day weekend. XOXO