Tinted Brows Are Thicker Brows

Some time ago, I was invited by Boom Boom Brow Bar in NYC for a complimentary brow tint. I've never heard of tinting my brows before, so I was properly intrigued. After all, anything that makes my brows look less bald is a win in my book.

What happens is: the brow specialist applies a vegetable-based color onto your eyebrows (like above) and leaves it on for ten minutes to develop. Afterwards, your eyebrows will look darker and fuller. Depending on the dryness of your skin, you may experience a tingling sensation—I felt it at the tail end of the session, but it was in no way uncomfortable.

While chatting away at the chair, a tidbit I garnered from the specialist is we should only pluck/wax our brows once a month. Apparently, our hair's growth cycle is 28 days and if we tweeze in between that time, we will cause the hair to have a second growth cycle. I interpret that as having brow hair grow on different schedules, which I guess does make grooming a huge hassle.

Unfortunately, I only have shoddy iPhone pictures to show for the before-and-after, but I can confidently say that my brows, while not Cara Delevingne perfect, looked considerably fuller than before. I'll still have to fill it in to get the look I want, but I also feel less naked when going out sans brow pencil.

A brow tint is $22 at Boom Boom Brow Bar. They also offer a full range of hair-removal services. The location is quite small and they only have something like five chairs available at a time, so while walk-ins are possible, I would suggest that you make an appointment before heading there.

Boom Boom Brow Bar
35 7th Avenue (between 12th and 13th St)
New York, NY 
212.229.2666

Lipstick Bandits: The Coral Conundrum

HOW TO BLAHG? My response to the empty draft that was this post. I'm out of shape even though my day job requires me to write for ten hours (or maybe it's precisely because of that?). I miss blogging but I have to say I've been enjoying my hiatus. It's been the first time in years that I didn't have to do anything on weekends.

Moving on, what brought me back today is a new installment of Lipstick Bandits, and this time we're tackling coral. As many of the troop will tell you, we don't know what color coral is supposed to be. I've been told it's something between pink and red, but I've definitely seen "corals" that lean orange. I feel like it's one of those colors (like taupe) that have no real meaning anymore because everyone just uses the word to describe a broad range of color.

But it's true we've never tackled the hue before, so here we are. The one I'm wearing in the picture is Le Métier de Beauté Riviera. A makeup artist once told me that Riviera is a "true coral," and I can definitely see the pink peeking out from the red. Maybe this is it?

*Swatches and product photos are absent because I took these a long time ago (look at that winter-dry skin!) and I'm a rusty blogger. Sorry.

Other fun things in this photo: Shiseido Luminizing Eye Color Trio in Pink Sands and JINsoon Nail Polish in French Lilac and Poppy Blue. Catbird Rings.

Other Bandits:

• Beauty Reflections
• BellaChique‎
• ChloeAsh‎
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Glitter Geek
• Makeup Morsels
• Messy Wands
• Mostly Sunny‎
• Musing on Beauty
• My Funny Valentine
• My Women Stuff
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites
Benefit Dandelion Blush
RMS Living Luminizer
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette in Moss Green
Shiseido Luminizing Eye Color Trio in Pink Sands
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Blackest Black
Le Métier de Beauté Riviera Lipstick
JINsoon Nail Polish in French Lilac and Poppy Blue

Suqqu Spring 2013: EX-13 Ginusudama

Several pieces of the Suqqu spring collection landed on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago, courtesy of a (well placed) loved one in London. I didn't find many of the US releases this season exciting and haven't been making new purchases, so the package was a welcome dose of beauty. I've mentioned on Twitter some time ago that I've largely weaned myself off the need to buy and own lots of things, but it's always nice getting something pretty in the mail.

A review of the spring palettes would not be complete without mention of this different, duochrome-ish white-silver packaging (as opposed to the usual black). I assume it is an allusion to the color of pearls, as the products from the entire spring collection ends with the word pearl (genius, I am).

Swatched clockwise from the top left, Ginusudama contains a pearlescent pink, a bronze-copper, an ivory, and a decidedly duochrome purple-gray. Though really, those are crude words to describe the colors above. Each shade flickers and changes slightly in the light. The formula, if you can believe, is even more buttery smooth compared to the regular quads. It's pigmented but light – you can't overwhelm the eyes with this palette, no matter how much you pile on.

The Look

For the look above, I used the palette in the most generic way possible. White as under brow and inner corner highlight, pink all over then layered with the copper, and purple-gray shade as liner. Because the color palette was so light, I knew I couldn't rely on my go-to nude. I reached for a shade I've never tested before, NARS Velvet Gloss in New Lover, and was surprised that it complemented the look very nicely indeed. Perhaps it's in the coolness of the shades? Nevertheless, that's a friendly pink added to the trusted stash, and we all know doesn't happen very often.

Suqqu EX-13 Ginusudama is available at ichibankao.com in the US, albeit with a high markup.

Products Used:
Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream in Light Medium
RMS "Un" Cover-Up in #22
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow in Moss Green
Suqqu EX-13 Ginusudama Blend Color Eyeshadow
THREE Flash Performance Eyeliner in 08 Eye On
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Guerlain Blush G Sakura (Asia Exclusive)
NARS Velvet Gloss in New Lover

My Love Affair With Tatcha

Persists mercilessly. I'm convinced there is nothing Vicky Tsai can do to make me stop loving this brand (not that she would try, of course. Bring on the skincare!). I recommend it to everyone who asks for anything that falls under the umbrella of what Tatcha offers (see face mask, skin mist, and everything else), and if they're not looking for new skincare, I give them one of my precious Aburatorigami blotting papers because they need to understand why this brand is basically my sanctuary in the beauty wildnerness.

So! Let's talk about the relatively new Tatcha Revitalizing Eye Cream ($135). Tatcha sent this to me a few months ago just as I was contemplating an eye cream purchase, along with the Akari Crystal Massager, an eye/face massage tool that I do not take advantage of often enough.

Anyway, no eye cream gets rid of darkness or eye bags completely, and I am probably not at an age where it's relevant, so I can't tell you for sure if its anti-aging claims are anything more than just claims. What I can tell you is this eye cream does the creamy and moisturizing thing that creams do without the weight. I apply, massage it around my eye area and it's there but it doesn't feel like it's there. Also, I barely need concealer anymore.

Just, y'know, some things to consider if you're looking for a new eye cream.

Full disclosure: This entry contains a sample product sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

Spring Butterfly Makeup

L-R: Addiction Twig, Suqqu Mizuaoi

Not even gonna lie, the "butterfly" part was coined by the editors of Harper's Bazaar to describe the below, taken at Roberto Cavalli's Fall 2012 runway show. To my dismay, I don't have purple or green eyeshadow that vibrant, but as usual I took matters in my own hands and cobbled up a look with what I had. I only noticed after editing that the result is similar to the Rouge Bunny Rouge look I did a couple months ago, with slight adjustments to placement.

I wish I used a brighter green. Can we just imagine that the dark green I used on my lids was brighter and popped (I hate using that word, but in this context it's really apt) more? Would have made this more interesting.

Anyway, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. I covered my eyelids and my bottom lash line with the green eyeshadow. For the blueish lilac shade, I stuck my brush by the side of my nose bridge and blended the shade into the lid, stopping just before it touches the eyebrows. The definition achieved by the model above is envy-inducing—alas, I have no such nose.

For the outer half, I used the purple brown shade from the Suqqu Mizuaoi quad (sadly discontinued) and blended it into the two colors. I lined both top and bottom lash line with a black liner, then applied mascara. For the finishing touch, I dipped a liner brush into the white and highlighted the inner corners of my eyes.

While the makeup on the rest of the model's face was kept bland, I added just a hint of pink on my cheeks (the trick is a really fluffy powder brush, a light pink blush, and an even lighter hand), then highlighted on top of my cheekbones and down the center of my nose. I also went for lipstick that didn't wash me out.

Oh! I tested a new trick to applying foundation. I sprayed a mist between every layer. Basically, mist –> foundation –> mist –> powder -> mist. The aim was to create dewy-looking skin.

The Look






Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist
Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites
Benefit Dandelion Blush
RMS Living Luminizer
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette in Moss Green
Suqqu Mizuaoi
Addiction Twig Eyeshadow
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Blackest Black
Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer in #201

Catching Up + Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist

It is cruel irony that the scarf is in crisp focus in the picture above when the main subject should be the Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, but perhaps that is meant to be. I've been meaning to digress a little from makeup and see how everyone is doing. How are you? What is the weather like at your place? Are you happy? Would you like to talk? I love hearing from you, whether it be through the comment box below or email, even though I may take forever to respond. As ever, if you have any questions or would just like to say hi, the fastest way to get to me is to tweet me.

As for me, life has been pretty time-consuming. I'm at a place where I actually notice each day pass by and feel both exhilaration and panic as it does. Did you know it's almost the end of February already? Didn't the year just begin? New York is as lively as ever but I have to remind myself sometimes to forgo the headphones and gadgets, look around and actually see, or I will miss all these sights and the anonymous faces on the subway will remain anonymous. A part of me perpetually carries the fear that I will have to leave this place soon, even as I fight to stay everyday. We'll see.

I'm sure you've noticed that I've been slightly absent from this space and on my social media accounts. While I will never completely abandon Messy Wands, I have been making a concerted effort to live a more offline life. It scares me sometimes when I struggle to remember what I did a day or two before, and I do believe it has to do with the short attention span I've developed by hopping from Twitter to Facebook to reading two paragraphs in an already open browser window to checking mail at three different email accounts. If my mother was reading this, she would scoff that her memory, at her mid-50s, is still better than mine.

Anyway, some of those offline things include reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, waiting eagerly for Matilda and Pippin to open on Broadway, making home-cooked meals at least five days a week (then bringing leftovers to lunch, which oddly makes me feel accomplished), and playing Agricola. I will go skiing in Vermont next week even though it terrifies me, participate in the frenzy that is Sleep No More sometime in March, attend a performance of the complete Bach Cello Suites in April, and I can't wait to add more exciting events to my calendar.

Digression aside, we now have to talk about that rosewater mist. Since being introduced to the Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist, the traditional toner+cotton combo no longer interests me. I now alternate between the Tatcha and Jurlique mists as toner substitutes. As befits the name, the Jurlique mist smells quite strongly of roses, but works well to provide an additional boost of moisture beneath your serum and moisturizer. I've been using it 3-4 days per week (3-4 spritzes per use) for the past month and I'm barely a quarter way through. For $22, I think you'll get your money's worth.

Full disclosure: This entry contains a sample product sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

Red Carpet to Real Life

If there's something we can rely on when it comes to red carpet beauty, it's that someone will go for the "classic Hollywood" look – flawless skin, minimal eye, siren red lips. It's makeup that allows you to look dolled up without seeming like you are wearing too much, most recently demonstrated by Skylar Grey at the Grammys:

Since everything else is relatively bare, the emphasis of this particular look is the skin. I always believed that blemish-free skin is the best indicator of health and beauty, and since participating backstage in NYFW, I now believe foundation and concealer can do anything, no matter what condition your skin is in.

That said, have an established skincare routine and take good care of your skin! It makes life simpler (and no doubt makes you happier). For this look, I patted on foundation with a flat synthetic brush then applied loose powder with a fluffy powder brush.

I shaded in my eyebrows then applied an eyeshadow color that's close to my skin tone on my eyelids and inner corners. I applied liquid eyeliner to the bottom of my lashes so it barely peeks through, curled my lashes, then coated them with mascara. I swept a light pink blush on the apples of my cheeks.

To finish, I applied red lipstick and gently blotted it with a tissue to minimize slipping and sliding. When I look at celebrity red carpet pictures I always think their lips look matte-ish, but I guess it's a natural side effect of having lipstick on for a few hours. It's shocking how none of them get their teeth red too. I mean, even if you have publicists and assistants galore to check on you, where on the red carpet are you supposed to dignifiedly (yes, it's a word) swipe a finger at your teeth?

Also, I'm a little odd about these things. When applying it on myself, I deliberately made it a little less "perfect" so it's closer to what I believe women look like in "real life." Not to say that women can't look impeccable when they want to, it's just a quirk of mine; I believe it makes me look more natural. For example, I shade in my eyebrows but don't draw it in precisely – I blur out the line with a spoolie so while my eyebrows look fuller, they don't look too shaded in.

Otherwise, while understated, I can understand the appeal for celebrities to default to this look. After all, just because they walk on the red carpet doesn't mean they should look any different from usual (though as a beauty journalist I wish for anything but just so I have something to write about). It's almost wedding-y in how classic this looks, which I guess if I had to be scrutinized while gliding down a long red carpet, I'd opt for something safe too.

This post is part of BlogHer's Celebrity Beauty Trends editorial series, made possible by Olay.