New Brow Goodies

With so many new brow products on the market, it's hard to not be intrigued.  I recently picked up two new pencils and a clear brow gel to test out.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer
This is a new release from the brand.  Similar to their Brow Wiz, this is a retractable pencil with a spoolie on the other end.  Unlike the skinny tip the Brow Wiz has, the Brow Definer has a larger, flatter, triangular-shaped tip.  If you are one who likes to lightly fill in sparse areas, the Brow Wiz would be the way to go.  However, if you're like me and go for a bold brow ever day, I think you'll love the Brow Definer.  Since it's bigger, it covers more area per swipe.  It's so much faster than the Brow Wiz!  I picked up the color Soft Brown and think it's perfect for me--it has just a bit more warmth than Medium Brown.  The formula is waxy and has good lasting power.

L'Oreal Brow Stylist Definer
Similar to the Brow Wiz or NYX's Micro Brow Pencil , L'Oreal's Brow Stylist Definer is a retractable pencil with a spoolie and has a very fine tip.  I already know I like both the Brow Wiz and Micro Brow Pencil, and I wanted to see how L'Oreal's version compares.  They are all very similar in packaging and quality.  Brow Wiz has the waxiest formula of all three, followed by the Micro Brow Pencil and the Brow Stylist Definer.  Brow Stylist Definer was, in my opinion, is the softest in texture and glides on more easily than the other two.  Despite the soft texture, its longevity is pretty decent.  I chose the color Brunette, which is almost the exact same shade as the Micro Brow in Ash Brown.  Despite the fact that I have almost black hair, I don't typically go for the darkest shade in brow products.  Brunette is a good color for me and isn't too warm or too cool.

L-R:  NYX Micro Brow in Ash Brown, L'Oreal Brow Stylist Definer in Brunette, ABH Brow Definer in Soft Brown

I also picked up L'Oreal's Brow Stylist Plumper Brow Gel in transparent to set my brows after using the pencils.  It's a good clear brow gel with decent hold (not the strongest by any means, but good enough).  The wand is on the smaller side, which is neither here nor there for a clear formula.  I'll need more time to decide if I like it more than NYX's Control Freak, but so far, so good.

Thank you for reading, and if you've picked up any new brow products recently, please share your thoughts with me!

Training Your Hair/Changing Your Part

Moving your part is a fun way to change around your look.  After 15+ years of parting my hair to the left, I decided it was time to change it up.  I'm not sure what exactly inspired me to do it, but I thought I'd try parting my hair down the middle to see how it looked on me.  Training my hair to part down the center has taken a lot of patience, but three months later, I think my hair has finally gotten the hang of it.  If you are looking for some tips on training your hair to part either on a different side or down the center, here are a few words of wisdom that may help you out.

Part It Right After You Shower
After you wash your hair and take it down from the towel, comb through it and immediately part it where you want it.  This will help your hair to dry in the right position.  You can use a rat tail comb to get an even part.  More often than not, I just use my pinky finger.

Direct The Heat From Your Blow Dryer
This is very important and is something I was doing wrong initially.  When you're trying to train your hair for a new part, DO NOT flip your head over to blow dry it!  Doing so makes it harder to get it to part back in the right spot and creates lots of flyaways at the front of your part.  Instead, point the nozzle of the dryer down and direct the heat downward from the front of the part.  Use your fingers to help smooth the hair down as you dry it.

Use Product To Tame Flyaways
I tried using hairspray, serum, and a few other products, but Big Sexy Hair's Big Boost styling cream is my favorite.  It provides light hold but is not shiny or heavy.  I found that the hairs at the front of my part wanted to go in every direction because it wasn't used to parting down the middle.  This stuff really helped to keep it under control.  Clear brow gel also works and is a great on-the-go solution since it's easy to keep in your purse.

Sleep With Bobby Pins
I got this very helpful tip from my hairdresser.  I would also keep them in my hair at home during the day or in the car (and I'd take them out before getting out of the car).  Not only does this help to direct the hair, but it also helps to keep the flyaways at bay.

Be Patient!
Successfully re-training your hair is not something that will happen overnight.  As I mentioned earlier, it took my hair about three months to learn the center part.  It requires extra maintenance, and you will also have more volume on one side than the other for a while.  But these little annoyances will all go away eventually, and it's worth it in the end.  I am loving my new center part and think I'll keep it for a long time.

I hope this was helpful, and please share your tips with me if you've changed your part!