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While sitting at a bar the other day, a woman came over to me and said “wow, you’re all about your brows, huh?” I was completely taken aback because I didn’t think my brow makeup was anything spectacular. At this time, I was using Benefit’s goof proof . I love that brow product but after that nice lady’s compliment, I felt I had to experiment with different brow products and share my knowledge with the word. This Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade ($18) has been all over the blogosphere recently so since I “am all about my brows,” I just I had to try it. I purchased the pomade in shade “medium brown” and also purchased the Anastasia Beverly Hills Duo Brush #12 ($18) and I was so glad I did. This product goes on so smoothly and makes it so easy to define my brows. I don’t think this product would work as well without the brush that specifically goes with it.

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Now, let’s get to the tutorial. First off, I had just gotten my eyebrows waxed so having a proper base always helps when doing your brow makeup. Here’s what my brows look like without any product.

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The first thing you want to do is make a line directly above the edge of your nose bone.

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You can expect to look a little scary, like this:

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Next, start filling in where you just drew the line towards your actual brow. It’s easiest to keep making upward lines and keep filling in between the lines. Then, you want to make a line along the bottom of the brow. Lastly, the arch should be about 3/4 of the way down of your natural eyebrow length. So, fill that in so it goes a little bit higher than the rest of the brow. Finally, just fill in the rest of the brow.

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Take a look at the finished product:

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There ya have it, folks! I hope this was helpful. Did this make any sense at all? Sometimes, I feel like I have a hard time explaining directions but hopefully you get the gist!

Diana

 

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Chrissy Teigen has got to be my favorite person on the planet. Her tweets alone have me in stitches. Not to mention, she’s gorgeous, smart, and a wonderful mother and wife. So, when I heard she came out with a makeup palette, I knew I had to have it. You can purchase this palette here at Ulta or here at Lord and Taylor. If you purchase from Ulta, you will receive a free Becca Deluxe Highlighter in Opal! Who doesn’t love free makeup?

First of all, the packaging is beautiful and I love the “becca” design in one of the highlighters.

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To create the look below, I took the bronze shade and applied the color to the indents of my cheekbones. Then, I applied the blush shade right on top of the bronzer. Lastly, I took both of the highlighters and applied them above the blush.

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Verdict: I definitely like this palette a lot. The colors went on smooth and stayed on really well. My only complaint was the intensity of the blush, so next time I use this palette, I probably will just skip that. Luckily, I can still say I love everything about Chrissy Teigen. Keep slayin’ girl.

What do you think of this look? Are you a huge fan of Chrissy’s like I am?

Diana

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Although I find it somewhat ironic to blog about blogging, I wanted to share a few things that I’ve learned so far.

  1. WordPress.com v. WordPress.org  –  Prior to embarking on this new blogging journey, I had absolutely no knowledge about wordpress or the inner workings of the internet. Truth be told, I actually started my blog on wix.com. I was having trouble understanding wordpress so I thought this would be a better option. WRONG. Wix just didn’t offer the same things as wordpress. I’m sure it would be fine to make a regular website with but it really wasn’t blog friendly. So, after a week or two, I went over to wordpress.com. Once there, I had zero idea of what I was doing. I must’ve chatted with the WordPress “happiness engineers” about a 100 times. So much so, that I’m sure they argued over who would have to answer the “clueless girl” for the upteenth time. Once I got down the basics, many other chats revolved around why my site was limiting me from certain things. I was then told that I could switch to a self-hosted site. Upon learning that I had another option ( a.ka. wordpress.org,) I decided to switch. Before that moment, I had no idea what that meant but through tears and frustration…err, I mean trial and error, I found myself over at bluehost.com. I set up a hosting site through them which was actually easier than I thought. Next, I needed to import all my old content, transfer followers, and set up a new theme. Luckily, the “happiness engineers” came to my rescue again and were able to walk me through everything. To avoid a lot of hassle and irritation, I definitely recommend starting out with wordpress.org.
  2. Blogging Is Social – This blogging universe is an incredibly social place. Having strugged with social anxiety for many years, it feels great to be able to connect with people of similar interests and not worry about feeling judged. Everyone has been so supportive of eachother, which lets face it, doesn’t always happen in the real World. It’s been an empowering experience so far to have other females say things like “that looks great on you” or “I love your shoes!” I’ve definitely learned that it’s important to respond to every person that leaves a comment. If they’ve taken the time out of their busy lives to leave a comment, it definitely deserves a reply. I’ve noticed that I’ve left a few comments and as silly as it sounds, it hurts my feelings when I don’t get a response. Maybe I’ve been watching too much “13 Reasons Why” and my emotions are out of whack but I always appreciate a response back.
  3. Etsy Is The Way To Go – OK, again I had no idea what I was doing when I was designing my blog. I’m a total perfectionist and couldn’t figure out how to make my blog look “better.” When I was using wordpress.com, I was using a free theme. I went through a couple free themes over there because I just couldn’t decide on one. When I switched over to my self-hosted site, I purchased a theme through Mojo Marketplace which I DO NOT recommend. The first them I purchased wasn’t compatible with the jetpack plugin (which you need to install on your self-hosted site in order to operate similary to wordpress.com.) I went back and forth with the support team and they exchanged my theme for a different one. This theme wasn’t operating properly and was taking entirely too long to load. So, after reading another blogger’s blogging tips, I searched on etsy for wordpress themes. I was able to find the one I’m using now. It was super easy to install and the support was fantastic. I also found a woman to help me with a logo and so far she has been incredible.
  4. Don’t Compare Yourself To Others – This one is important! I’ve been incredibly guilty of this these past few weeks. I see bloggers saying that they’ve reached 1,000 followers in a couple short weeks and I start wondering what I’m doing wrong. I’ve learned that this is a harmful way of thinking. Everyone’s blog is different and each has something different to offer. If it takes a little longer to reach a large amount of followers then so be it! I’ve learned I’m learning to not compare myself to others and just continue on doing my own thing and be proud of myself regardless of how many followers I have.
  5. Images and Content – Last but not least, I’ve learned that images make a big difference. I’ve noticed some popular blogs that use a lot of white images which are more visually appealling. Thus, I’ve found programs to lighten up my images and I think (at least, I hope) that they look better. I currently don’t have a camera and use my iphone for pictures but I’m hoping I can get one at some point very soon. #goals. I’ve also realized that I use mostly images in my posts and not very much content. I’ve always been a visual learner and have had a hard time putting my thoughts into writing. However, I think more people enjoy reading posts instead of just looking at images. I’m making it another goal to write more on each and every post.Speaking of images, I just noticed this post doesn’t have any! So, here is a picture of sea otters holding hands. Why? Because how stinkin’ cute is that???

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    Phew! That was long! If you’re still here, I hope this post helps you if you are just beginning your blogging journey. I know, I could’ve saved a lot of headaches had I just done a little research first.

Diana

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As most of you know, Sephora recently had their bi-annual 15% off sale for VIBs (aka those who spend their rent money at Sephora.) I can never let this sale pass me by since makeup hardly ever goes on sale. I purchased a couple of palettes from Anastasia Beverly Hills and a makeup brush set.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure for more info.

 


1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette – this palette is one of the best
eye palettes I have ever laid eyes on.  I can see myself using all of these colors instead of just a couple, like many other palettes. I used a youtube video to create this look and I think it came out pretty well!

 


2. The second Anastasia Beverly Hills palette I purchased was the Glow Kit in Sun Dipped and oh my, is this palette gorgeous!! It’s $40 for four different shades (two bronze colors and two highlighters) which breaks down to only $10 a shade! I have no other words to say about this palette except I kind of feel like a Kardashian with this glow!

 


3. Lastly, the brushes were just OK. This set came with a foundation brush, powder brush and I’m honestly not sure what the other is for. I can see myself using the foundation brush and maybe the powder brush. However, I should have purchased an eye brush set instead.

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Diana