Brow Bargain!

I only began really paying attention to my eyebrows last year, and so was inexperienced in the art of filling them in and taking proper care of them. Since then I have tried brow pencils, brow powder sets and brown eyeshadows in an attempt to create a defined brow. I was unhappy with the colour choices around me, as the red-toned browns in brow palettes don't suit my colouring. Along came this brow bargain from BYS, and here I sit a happy blogger!

This product is marketed as a multi-use product for both brows and eyes, but at this point in time I've been using it soley for my brows. The packaging is similar to Nars packaging which is a tremendous plus for BYS, and it feels much sturdier than some other packaging from the brand (lipsticks, I am looking at you!) I can have this thick matte black stick rolling around in my bag all day without worrying about the casing cracking or coming loose.

The colour of this brown shade is a dark neutral brown, and the other colours available are blonde and black. This suits my colouring quite well, and despite recently dying my hair it still looks fine on me.

This is more like a slant tip crayon than a traditional pencil, and I find that this is what makes it easier to smudge once on the brow, which then creates a more natural look overall. I like to 'tap' the pencil onto my brows and smudge it in, before following up with some clear brow gel. I'm thinking about getting a tinted brow gel since my clear is about to run out- does anyone have any recommendations? What do you use on your brows?

I like that this has a slim edge and a thick one, it means that I can be precise when doing my brows in the morning or do a rush job and it will still turn out nicely. It doesn't need sharpening, you just twist it up as you go.

One swipe swatch.

In this image I've filled in one brow with the BYS brow pencil, and haven't touched the other. Can you tell which is which? ;P

This BYS brow bargain has become my go-to each morning, and I've left the rest of my brow products to the side and am using this exclusively. If this pencil wasn't sent to me, I doubt I would have picked it up as I would have never thought of finding a gem in a drugstore brand. I like being proven wrong with things like this :)

BYS has been surprising me quite a bit with their product quality, so I'd highly recommend you check them out next time you pass a BYS stand!

BYS is available in Kmart, discount stores and online at Fashion Addict and this Brow & Eye Pencil retails for a tiny $5.95 AUD.

This product was provided for consideration, which in no way affects my opinion on the product. Honesty, always.

November Favourites!

November started out pretty crappy, but I slowly got back into the swing of things and began to put more effort into my makeup again. Here are the things I loved the most during November! Quite a delayed post but everything is still a winner so I didn't see why I shouldn't post it anyway:)

Dove Tinted Moisturiser SPF15 in BeigeI

I usually despise tinted moisturisers, as many others with bad skin probably do,too. This, however, evens out the redness in my skin and once set with powder, is my favourite everyday face. It's slightly scented in a sort of creamy way, and doesn't ever cling to dry patches. Without powder it's pretty dewy, but once the powder hits it looks great. I find I'm less fussed about my appearance than I have been  in the past- I want to look my best, but I'm not going to get crazily fanatical about it. I love who I am, and I feel like this product just makes me look like a less tired version of me :-) I 'borrowed' this from Chris' Mum, doubt she'll get it back.

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Light 4-5

This powder has been the star player of late, I am head over heels for it. I had heard people rave and didn't bother to check it out, but when Priceline had a Maybelline deal on Candice grabbed a few things and got this for me (how good is she, seriously!) It works perfectly with my Dove Tinted Moisturiser or Bourjois Healthymix foundations and I generally reapply after lunch with a fluffy brush to neaten myself up. It doesn't appear cakey even when I'm lazy and neglect to blot, so it's perfect for 'on the go'. The perfect finisher for my face!

Loujene Eyebrow Kit

I had been using a mixture of shades from Urban Decay's Naked palette for my brows but it began to feel like a waste, plus the colours were never a perfect match. A Japanese $2.80 store similar to Daiso opened up near my work a few months back and I picked up this eyebrow duo on a whim. It has a cool yet slightly annoying slide out design and comes with a brush (yet to use) and I find that the dark shade with a tiny touch of the paler brown is my perfect eyebrow shade. The powders last forever on my brows, too, and I set it all with my Ardell clear brow gel.

Botani Spirulina Salt Scrub*

I am a self-confessed scrub enthusiast, and when I was offered the chance to try out this bad boy I hopped right into it. The smell, ohh the smell. I have a full review and special surprise coming up for this, so I'll leave it at that. *goes off to slather on the scrub*

MAC Lipstick in Plumful

I only have a handful of MAC lipsticks and this one is definitely one of the best I've chosen. I purchased this heavily discounted from the Estee Lauder staff store and am so glad I did- it's a little bit wintery with its plum tones but the shot of raspberry in it makes it great for hot weather,too. It applies like a dream and looks excellent on, if I do say so myself.

Inglot Eyeshadow Palettes

The review of these will be coming up next week. I love the pigmentation of Inglot shadows and am content with the shades I own (Chris chose the bright palette and most of the neutral!) It has a little bit of everything and the fact that it's all in a colour family contantly gives me new ideas as to what shades to pair with another, which is something I often need help with. Adore these, would love it if Santa decided to bring me more Inglot!

Milani Berry Amore Blush 
 This Milani Baked Blush shade was thrown in my Cherry Culture basket due to my lack of restraint and disdain for a single item in an online basket. It turned out to be my very favourite from the three I chose, so I am very happy for this affliction! It's a gorgeous berry shade as the name would suggest, and the gold veins that run through it bring light to my face without a whole ton of sparkle. Adore this, have worn it almost every day this month.

Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Overexposed*
As I said in my review of this gloss, it's a perfect everyday lip shade and it goes with so many looks. The smell is to die for, and as with all Smashbox glosses I've tried, the formula is top notch. Highly recommended!

***

So that rounds up my most loved products for November, I am a little (or a lot) in love with all of these and would love to know if you have tried any of them, too?

(*The items marked with an asterix were provided for consideration for review, which in no way influenced their placing in my November Favourites. Honesty, always.)