Keep Your Eyebrows Tidy

Aside from armpits, legs, and bikini lines, our set of eyebrows is one of the most important part of our body(face) we should maintain. While unshaved armpits can be concealed by wearing sleeved shirt and not raising your arms too high, and while unwanted hairs on your bikini lines won't show unless you wear bikini, eyebrows can't be concealed at all. Ok, bushy eyebrows are not as gross as bushy armpits and bushy thing down there, but still it shouldn't be taken for granted just because it isn't gross. Remember, eyebrows frame your face. A well-groomed eyebrows makes a big difference on how you look, so never be too busy for an eyebrows trim. Who wouldn't want to look fresh and pretty towards our significant others?

First things first. If you are gifted with nicely shaped eyebrows, then don't attempt to re-shape anymore. What you should do is to just clean up the surroundings. Shave (or pluck) the stray hairs and that should be good.

If you are cursed with a bushy, rapunzel-ish, multi-directional eyebrows, that's where the issue starts. I always liked thick eyebrows, for as long as it's well shaped and clean. But since eyebrows grooming is a delicate topic, I will not attempt anymore to write about how to groom and shape your eyebrows. Instead here are some tips:

1. If you have never done or still in trial and error for a long time with shaping and grooming your brows and has never achieved the eyebrows you are dreaming of, I recommend having a professional to do it for you. When you do, observe very well and ask questions how it is done. And then maintain it. Do it with reputable salons please.

2. Follow the natural shape of your eyebrows when shaping.

3. Never have one-liner eyebrows. Do not ever make it so thin. Thin eyebrows makes you look matured and old. Put it this way : Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping beauty, they all have thick eyebrows; while the evil step mother always have one-liner eyebrows.

4. Finally, make sure they are even. Well, our eyebrows are sisters, but they aren't twins so they don't need to be exactly identical. Notice that sometimes your left eyebrow's hair direction or thickness is slightly different from your right eyebrows. What's important is they look even and balanced.

It is however, inevitable, that some people have an in-born thin brows. What you can do with this is to still clean it up and shape it, but fill-in and enhance your brows with a brow powder or brow liner. If you use brow liner, make sure you smudge it with a brow brush tool so it doesn't look too harsh and artificial. I prefer brow shadow over liner because of this. Choosing a color, on the other hand, is another story. But this is what usually works for me - I pick a color 1 shade lighter than my hair. So if my hair is black, the color i pick is dark brown. Usually, dark brown works for most Asian women with tan complexion like me.

Eyebrows shaping and grooming is one of my favorite cosmetic things to do, and seriously, I'm so obsessed with it, whether it's bushy as hell, or naturally thin (as in thin strands), I can shape them pretty well :). So let me share the "must haves" in your brows grooming kit.

A. Eyebrows razor/shaper - This is essential when shaping your eyebrows. It's quicker and less painful versus plucking. However, this requires precision so be careful. One wrong move can ruin the shape you are aiming for. It's best to shave slowly, and then little by little to avoid mistakes.

B. Tweezer - this is very handy. I sometimes resort to tweezers when : There are stray hairs that I couldn't remove by using a razor for some reasons; when I'm not comfortable with the razor to shape delicate areas. So I use razor for major clean-ups, and then tweezers for the details.

C. Lash brush - I prefer using this versus the real eyebrows brush because this is more friendly to the eyebrows strands. I also use this to gather the hair I need to trim using scissors.

D. Eyebrows Scissors - these small scissors are also used to cut nose hairs, but don't be grossed out. Use it on your eyebrows and nowhere else :). I use scissors to cut long strands of eyebrows essential for shaping.





headshot photo by: Mark Mulder

Read more...

Facial Refreshment

Pamper your skin and defy aging.If you have a busy schedule and can't visit your favorite skincare center, or if you are on a tight budget and can't afford to do commercial facial treatments on a regular basis, here's a quick and easy way to invigorate your skin.

It's important that you spend at least once a week doing these little beauty stuff in spite of your loaded schedule. This helps boost your self-esteem, confidence, and makes you feel great about yourself.

Give yourself a Facial Massage.

Facial massage relaxes the muscles on your face, and at the same time it stimulates your skin, improving blood circulation.

Use a facial cleansing cream to lubricate your face. In that way, while massaging, you are also cleansing your skin. I have a problematic skin so I am very particular with skin products I put on my face. I use Cetaphil cleanser. It's fragrant-free, non-comedogenic, and safe to use since it's designed for sensitive skin. Apply a generous amount on your face and start the massage.

Here's a helpful video that will give you an idea/technique how facial massage is done. Focus on the massage part.


I use a battery operated facial massage tool that I got from Watsons a year ago when I'm lazy. It comes with a pumice, sponge and brush, and it works pretty well. I'm not certain if they still sell it but check it out when you get a chance.

Facial massage lasts for about 15-20 minutes, but you can shorten or prolong it, depending on your comfort level. Then rinse off your skin with warm water, and then pat dry.

Follow this with toner and moisturizer, and you are all set. Your skin is refreshed, ready for another busy work week.

Now go have some hot choco or cold fruit drinks with your partner and bond.

Read more...