Saturday, 28 November 2015

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade | Review & Swatch


Hello! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! Today I bring you my overdue review of Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in the shade "medium brown".  I started using this product over 6 months ago and it has been my go-to brow product when I wear a full face of makeup.

The product is 0.14 oz and retails for $18, but a little goes a long way. One jar will probably last me forever or until it eventually dries out.

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Money saving tipEbates cashback program is offering 8% cash back for Sephora (sometimes they offer 10%!). Also, my Discover credit card offers 10% cash back for Sephora.  Definitely look for cashback bonuses before you purchase!
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I typically go in first with my ABH brow wiz in "granite" (my review here) to lightly outline the shape my brows, then I follow up with the Dipbrow Pomade in "medium brown" to fill in all the sparse areas.  If I want a more defined brow I will clean up the edges with concealer and set with a clear brow gel.


PROs:
  • waterproof, sweat-proof, smudge-proof
    • when in contact with water, it doesn't budge unless you very forcefully rub it off
    • the product won't even smudge if you rub it, it just fades

        • great lasting power
          • can wear this for 8+ hours and it'll still look the same at the end of the night

        • versatile and buildable
          • achieve either a soft natural brow or a bold defined brow depending on how much product is used

        • applies smoothly
          • the creamy formula glides on nicely with no patches or skipping

        • great color selection
          • currently available in 11 different shades ranging from warm to cool undertones
          • the 'medium brown' shade matches my black Asian hair naturally

          • a little goes a long way

          • beautiful, solid packaging 


          CONs:
          • requires some practice to master the technique to achieve a natural brow
            • I feel like I still haven't perfected the art of applying the dipbrow

          • not as quick & easy to use compared to ABH brow wiz or any other brow pencil
            • I don't use the dipbrow pomade on a daily basis because it takes a lot longer for me to apply it compared to just using a brow pencil


          Photos:
          Here are side by side swatches: brow wiz in "granite" and
          a heavy vs lighter dipbrow pomade swatch in "medium brown"


          top: bare brows with no product
          bottom: ABH brow wiz for outline + filled in with pomade


          Dipbrow Pomade packaging


          Packaged in a sleek and sturdy glass jar


          I decided on "medium brown" to match my black hair
          since it's a cooler brown with very little warm undertone.

          There are a lot of other color options to match black hair but the medium brown
          is the only one I've tried so far. Since I like the match, I haven't really found any
          reason to try other colors like "granite", "ebony", "dark brown" or "ash brown".


           I can't even imagine how long this one jar will last me




          To apply the dipbrow pomade I use a Sephora Collection double-ended angled brush with a spoolie on the other side. Unfortunately, the particular brush I use is no longer being sold. The recommended tool to use with the pomade is ABH brush #12.  I think any thin angled brush and a spoolie brush would be sufficient to use with the dipbrow - just practice, practice, practice!

          I do want to note that I don't use my dipbrow pomade on a daily basis for a few reasons. The main one being the fact that it's not a quick and simple routine; plus, it requires the use of a separate brush and spoolie.  Also, my daily routine typically only consists of filling in my brows with a brow pencil, putting on eyeliner, curling my lashes, and applying a quick sweep of bronzer. I usually only reach for my dipbrow pomade if I'm wearing eye shadow so my brows don't overpower my face.

          I've already written an entire blog post about the struggle of finding a natural color match for black hair. But I must give it up to Anastasia Beverly Hills for having a superb color selection for all their brow products. Overall, I'm very happy with my dipbrow pomade and it is a must-have if you want to achieve those defined bold brows that are trendy these days.

          Feel free to explore my other reviews on some other brow products:

          Friday, 27 November 2015

          Urban Geisha


          Model: Steph VD West
          Make-up: Alana from Kiss and Make-up
          Photographer: Craig from UNPRECEDENTED PICTURES
          Location: Umhlanga Ridge
          Date: 17 November 2015

          Sunday, 8 November 2015

          Holiday Themed iPhone 6/6s Wallpaper | Free Downloads

           
          It seems some have lost a tad bit of that winter season festivity with the Starbucks plain red cup controversy. While I couldn't care less about what is or is not on my disposable coffee cup, I decided to create a range of November/December holiday themed iPhone wallpapers for those who want to bring a touch of festivity to this season. No matter what holiday we do or do not choose to celebrate, we can all at least appreciate snowflake designs, no? Enjoy!

            

             

            

            

            


            

            


            


            


           



          I'll be adding more in the upcoming weeks; stay tuned!

          UPDATE:
          NYE / New Year's Wallpaper Backgrounds:

           




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