How I Grow My Brows

It's no secret. I hate my brows. And I know a good majority of my brow hatred is my own fault. To start off, I don't have very thick brows because of genetics. I am half Taiwanese and because of that, I have sparse, thin brows. On top of that, I have horrific anxiety, and when I get anxious, I often pull my brow hairs out. Let me tell you, it's an awful habit that I'm trying to stop, but either way, my brows aren't very voluminous in the first place!

To solve my sad brow problem, I hunted high and low. The most affordable brow serum I seemed to find was the Anastasia Brow Enhancing Serum, at $38. And then, of course, there was the ever-popular Latisse, which can range anywhere from $40 to $240, and requires a prescription. Okay, so I wanted thick brows pretty badly, but not so badly that I was will to pay that much for it. For a while I felt that I would have to just live with my brows. But then, about a year ago, I found a miracle product that is super affordable and can be found at any drugstore in the...laxative aisle?

This miracle product is castor oil. While castor oil is known to induce vomiting when ingested, it is also known for hair growth. Castor oil contains all kinds of beneficial ingredients for your hair, such as vitamin E, proteins,  fatty acids, as well as having antibacterial properties. Castor oil is also known to help improve circulation, which is can promote hair growth! At first, I was very skeptical about this stuff working. However, what did I have to lose? It was such a low cost, between $5-$10 on average, so I figured I might as well try it.

A year later, I still pull my brows out due to my anxiety. However, my brows have greatly benefited from the use of castor oil. Within about a week of applying castor oil for the first time, I noticed results! It's very quick and easy, and I apply it at night before I go to bed with a cotton swab. This oil has changed the way I see my brows, and has kept me from looking like a mad woman, especially on days when I don't fill in my brows. 

- D. 

REVIEW: Anastasia DipBrow Pomade

Recently, Anastasia Beverly Hills, known for their incredible brow products, released a new product that caught my eye: DipBrow Pomade. Their website says, "Waterproof brow color ideal for sculpting, defining, and carving perfectly precise brows that won’t fade. Smudge-free, creamy formula glides on skin and adheres to hair. Must-have for oily skin and humid climates. Tighten cap to prevent drying."

Now, I don't typically have oily skin, but I do have oily lids, and I am a sucker for anything that claims to be waterproof, long-wearing, and smudge-proof. It also claims to be non-comedogenic. So when I first heard about this product, I decided I wanted to give it a try! I purchased the shade "Dark Brown," which is a neutral-toned brown.

The package arrived in a bright metallic blue bubble wrap envelope, and inside was the product as well as a travel size of their Clear Brow Gel. While I'm typically not the type of girl to complain when given free stuff (or not given free stuff), I would have very much liked to see even just a cheap little mini angled brush or something. It would have been convenient for anyone who doesn't already have a brush. However, onto the product itself!

In the "before" photo, you can see my naked brows. In the "after" photo, you can see my brows when the product has been applied. I used a synthetic angled brush to apply the product. Now what I discovered instantly is that a little bit goes a very long way. I love thick and defined Cara Delevingne-esque brows, but you definitely don't need a lot of product to fill in your brows. Now I decided to put it to the work day test.

I had a pretty normal work day, but my skin tends to get rather oily when I'm at work because of the air conditioning. Because of that, I usually find that my makeup tends to fade a lot, and I get very shiny. At the end of my day, about 7 hours later, I came to find that I looked like this: 

Why, yes, I am totally aware that I look like a hot mess. However, despite the oily face, my brows are still defined and in tact! 

I was going to just post these findings and give my review based on a normal work day, but then I decided I should really put it to the test. Some of my best friends and I went to a place in my city called Belmont Park, which is basically just a little boardwalk amusement park at Mission Beach. We first went to Belmont Park, and rode a few rides and played some games, then we went to the beach. We were probably there for a total of about 6 hours, but then we went over to one of my friend's houses and hung out in their jacuzzi for a good hour or two. After that, we went into her house and ate and watched a movie. I was out and about for 11 hours. 

Here is what I looked like at 10 AM...

And then again at 9 PM...

I think my brows still look pretty good after 11 hours against the sun, wind, and water! When I swatched the product on my arm, I let it set for about 30 seconds, and did a rub down test.

Swatched with dry hands.

After some really vigorous rubbing with wet hands.

And more vigorous rubbing, this time with my Sephora Collection Cleansing Water on a cotton ball.

All in all, I'd say I'm pretty impressed by this stuff! It holds up really well in some crazy conditions, and I would definitely trust this product to last. I would probably suggest using an oil-based makeup remover to get it off though, because I was rubbing my arm raw when I was trying to get it off with the cleansing water. Trust me, when I say "vigorous rubbing," I really was trying my best to get it off! 

As of right now, this product is only available online, at Anastasia.net, Sephora.com, and Ulta.com. On all three websites, it runs for $18, and I think it'd definitely worth the price, especially because you get a substantial amount of product! From what I've read, it should be released in stores in January 2014, so keep an eye out for it! 

- d.