Thankfully, Deanna Netti-Cahill aka ‘The Brow Diva‘ popped in to give us some brow tips. The Brow Diva specializes in brow shaping at her salon in Rochester, NY and also has a line of brow gels, powders, and mascaras available in several shades (including shades for redheads) to help keep your eyebrows in tip-top shape.

Brow Mascara SRP $20.00

A matte, tinted gel formulated specifically for use in the brow area. Through altering the color of the brow hair itself, this product is perfect for covering gray hair, softening dark hair, or giving a touch of color to pale brows. Brush on brow hair in the direction of the hair growth (upward and outward), using the tip of the wand to apply color on the skin to fill in sparse areas. Available in 4 colors.

Brow Control SRP $20.00

A clear, silky gel that keeps unruly brow hairs in place all day.  Brush on brow hair in the direction of hair growth, upward and outward in a soft sweeping motion for flake-free control.

Brow Base SRP $25.00

A wax based product that is a must have for anyone suffering from sparse brows. May be used alone or in conjunction with other Brow Diva products for more intense color. Apply the Brow Base onto the brow using the Duo Brow Brush. Use short light strokes starting closest to the nose, filling in sparse areas and places where new growth is desired. Soften application using the spooly end of the Duo Brow Brush for natural, soft cover. Available in 6 colors.

Brow Powder SRP $25.00

A uniquely formulated powder that offers lasting color with the ease of sheer, soft application. This product is appropriate for all brow types. If you have naturally dense brows, this may be the only product you need. Using the angled end of the Duo Brow Brush, dab brush into powder and blend the powder into the brush by dabbing on the back of your hand. Apply to entire brow area using a light touch and short strokes starting at the base of your brow closest to the nose and blend up and out to naturally enhance your brow shape.  Available in 6 colors.

Ultimate Highlighter SRP $18.00

A sheer, matte cream works for all skin tones. This product provides a natural highlight to the brow bone and compliments your overall makeup look. Lightly dab beneath your brows with one finger, starting just before your arch, and blend outward. This product may also be used to highlight the inner corner of the eyes, the bridge of the nose, the cheekbones and even the cupid bow of your lips!

Duo Brush SRP $19.00

A dual purpose brow brush featuring an angled side for perfect brow product application and a spooly side to blend brow color and to hold brow hair in place for precise trimming.  Perfect for applying Brow Base and/or Brow Powder.

Deanna’s Eyebrow Tips

1. Invest the money in getting your eyebrows sculpted! This is something you only need to do every few months (maintenance is much less expensive.) The last thing you want to do is go somewhere that doesn’t specialize in brows and end up with a botched job. It can take 6 months to a year to fix a job that was done poorly by someone else. During this time, brows are a work in progress.

2. If you are between appointments and have a last minute date or special event and have to tweeze, tweeze only the obvious stray hairs and as few as possible! Use the Brow Diva products which are great for maintaining brows and keeping them looking clean between sessions.

3. A brow powder is the most important and universal product—key to have on hand. Some things to know: The color should match or compliment brow hair color. Less is more!! Apply with an angle brush at the arch and extend to the end of the brow. Apply what’s left on the brush to the inner part of the brow.

4. BEWARE!! A common mistake many people make (including many waxers) is over tweezing the area between your eyes. Keeping your brows longer on the inside makes your eyes look bigger, more polished, and makes your brows look longer.

5. The perfect brows are not too thin and not too thick. It is the middle ground you want to aim for. We are born with a natural canvas that an eyebrow artist can sculpt into its optimal shape. The arch also has a natural place that can be defined by the experienced brow sculptor. Do not try to make any shape changes on your own!

The Brow Diva studio is located at 3025 Monroe Avenue, Suite 103 Rochester, NY 14618

A first-time brow sculpting with the Diva starts at $50.00. For a list of studio services and prices, please visit www.browdiva.com

Save 20% at Sally Beauty (online only) no thru April 11th! Use code 555902 at checkout. You can get Ardell Fashion Lashes & Duo Lash Glue (two of my FAV beauty supply store products) as well as disposable mascara and lip wands and TONS of other beauty tools.

As part of our New Year’s Resolutions, My Urban Glamour Blog has vowed to keep you looking stylishly beautiful in ‘09. One way to really change your look is to have your brows properly groomed. Back in February ‘08, I posted about the importance of the brows. Your eyebrows frame your face and believe it or not can help improve the appearance of your skin AND make you appear more youthful. Plus, what’s a fabulous eye look without equally fabulous brows? (hint: the answer is nothing).

But what’s the downside to not having beautiful brows…let me first warn you that if you have little children in the room right now to put them to bed and brace yourself as you continue reading—-yeah, it’s that scary.

The downsides of not having beautiful brows are:

*looking much older than you actually are
*facial features could appear much larger or much smaller than they actually are
*complexion can appear to have lost some of its brilliance

Still not convinced of the importance of eyebrows? Check out Hot Chicks with No Eyebrows. This isn’t a game.

Continue reading to learn more about getting beautiful brows:

Brow shapes have evolved over time and with changes in fashion. There was a time when thin was in when it came to eyebrows, but nowadays a thicker brow is best.

So how do you get the coveted beautiful brow? Since I’m still technically challenged, here’s a quick video from Seventeen magazine on how to shape your brows:

You’ll need these tools to get the job done:

(starting at top from left) Anastasia All About Eyes Kit $75 at Sephora; Sephora Eyebrow Palette $20 at Sephora; Benefit Speed Brow $16 at Sephora; Laura Mercier Brow Definer $20 at Sephora; LORAC Take a Brow $22 at Sephora; Tweezerman Animal Print Slant Tweezers $25 at Sephora; MAC #266 Brush (great for $19 at Nordstrom; MAC #204 Brush (great for brushing eyebrow hairs) $11 at Nordstrom; Beautiful Brows: The Ultimate Guide to Styling, Shaping, and Maintaining Your Eyebrows $7.99 at amazon.com

Not up to the challenge yourself? Let a professional handle it! While I can do beautiful brows on my clients, I let another professional do mine for me. Like I mentioned last year, I’ve been going to Rajni at the Natural Look Aveda Salon for the past four years to get my brows threaded. But one time a trip to Georgia became longer than anticipated. In a bind, I went over to the Town Center Mall at Cobb and had my brows done at spot called Da Arches and I was also very pleased with the results. Check them out:

(At left, if you look very closely, you can see how thin and misshaped my brows were! That was back in ‘03/’04 when I would get them waxed at any old salon that had a free seat. At right, you can see how much better my brows look now with some thickness to them—they even make me smile…lol)

So there you have it! Make your brows a focal point in your quest to have ‘09 be your most beautifully stylish year yet. If you’re still stumped, feel free to contact me with your questions.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter in the Rx for Brown Skin Giveaway! Entries must be in by 11:59 P.M. EST on Thursday, April 16th!

One of the major beauty trends this season is toned-down makeup. MAC has the 411 on what products you need to get the look.

Ever do your makeup for a night out with the girls and thought you looked so fly—you had extra swagger in your step and a big old chip on your shoulder? But then the pics from that night show up on facebook the next day and you get tagged and then to your horror—-your makeup was just not hitting it?

HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU???

/infomercial

Anyway, you no longer have to cringe at the site of your foundation not matching or your eyeshadow smeared all over your face or lipstick on your teeth if you avoid these Top 10 Makeup Mistakes (don’t ask me why there’s only 9 listed…lol):

I couldn’t have written this better myself–LifeScript.com breaks down the top ten makeup mistakes and how to avoid them:

Makeup Mistake #1: Dark lip liner and light lipstick
Along with spandex and big hair, Berg says, “this is one look that should have stayed in the ’80s.” The trend now is lip liner in a shade close to your natural lip color, she says. Line and color in your pucker, then top with sheer gloss.
If you do use dark liner, like a red or berry shade, fill in your mouth completely, and then top with clear gloss, not a light lipstick.

Makeup Mistake #2: Lip liner that extends beyond the lip line
What you learned in kindergarten still holds true: Coloring outside the lines is sloppy. To fake a bigger pout, hug your lip line with the pencil. Line just the border, but not beyond. Then color in your lips and apply a lip-plumping product. Finish with a dab of clear or light gloss on the center of your lower lip; it will reflect the light and make your lips appear fuller.

Makeup Mistake #3: Drawn-in eyebrows
Women with lush, full brows should skip any added color; all they need are tweezers for stray hairs and a bit of brow gel. To plump up sparse brows, dip an angled brush into brow powder, says Ashunta Sheriff, a makeup artist for Christian Dior. Move the brush along the natural line of the brow, extending it to the edge of the eye.

If your brows are super-thin, Sheriff recommends making short, feathery strokes with a pencil, then topping brows with powder. (See related article: Your Guide to the Perfect Eyebrows)

Makeup Mistake #4: Eyeliner drawn way past the outer corner of the top eyelid
The “cat-eye” (or Cleopatra) effect is sultry and sexy, but not if you go overboard. Use a pencil if you’re a beginner; liquid liner is more glamorous but requires skill and a steady hand.

For a perfect eye, draw a line along the root of the lashes from the inner to outer corner. At the outer edge, subtly slant the line upward. Extend the line no farther than a quarter inch past your eye (or just a tad bit farther for a more dramatic look). Use your eyebrow as a guide: Don’t take the line past its edge.

Makeup Mistake #5: Clumpy Mascara
Before you apply, wipe the mascara wand against the opening of the tube to get rid of any excess mascara. When applying, Berg explains that wiggling the wand from side to side, from the base of your lashes to the tips, is the way to avoid clumps.

Before the mascara dries, comb through your lashes with an old toothbrush or an eyelash comb to separate them and get rid of the gunk. If you want, apply a second coat, then comb through again.

Makeup Mistake #6: Obvious line of blush
Toss out the dinky brush that came in the compact. A bigger brush will distribute the color more evenly.

“After you dip the brush into the blush, knock it gently on the back of your hand to get rid of excess powder,” says Sheriff, who has worked with Alicia Keys and Hilary Duff.

Smile and apply the blush in short, upward strokes on the apples of your cheeks, blending up to the hairline and ear. “It will give you a flushed, natural glow,” Sheriff says. If you apply too much, tone down the color with a light dusting of translucent powder.

Finding your best blush color may require some experimentation… or a visit to a makeup counter. But as a rule of thumb, bright colors are a definite don’t. When in doubt, stick with a pinky/peach hue with a soft shimmer.

Makeup Mistake #7: Bright blue mascara
Teal or cerulean mascara is young, punkish and more suited for rebellious teens. Indigo and navy, on the other hand, are polished and chic for 20-somethings and beyond.

Dark blue mascara can brighten up the whites of your eyes, which is especially useful when you’re tired or your eyes are bloodshot. “It’s pretty on all eye colors and flattering to everyone,” Berg says.

If blue still seems too outrageous, you can go for a more subtle look by applying regular black mascara and just tipping the edges of your lashes with blue, Berg suggests. (See related article: Beauty Trends You’re Afraid to Try)

Makeup Mistake #8: Caking on foundation over bad skin
Suffocating your skin with a heavy cover-up will only draw attention to the problem you’re trying to hide. Instead, try these tricks:

For fine lines: Mix in a little moisturizer with your foundation, which will prevent the formula from seeping into the lines.

For blemishes: “Mineral makeup can give great coverage for pockmarks and acne,” Berg says.
Berg also recommends gel foundations, such as those offered by cosmetic company Chantecaille: “It’s expensive, but it works. It looks like real skin.”

Makeup Mistake #9: Foundation line on jaw
To avoid a telltale foundation mask, the first step is to select the right shade. Try these tips from Rona’s book Beauty: The New Basics (Workman Publishing, 2001): Ask a salesperson at the makeup counter to pick out several shades and then test a few on your cheek. Step outside into natural light and use a hand mirror to see which shade looks best on you.

Sheriff points out that our necks are often a different color than our faces and chests, so it’s important to blend foundation down into the neck for a uniform color. Use a makeup sponge to create a seamless edge.

Some of my tips:

1. Always use an eyeshadow base like Urban Decay Primer Potion or MAC Paints. This will help to smooth the eyelid prepping it for eyeshadow and will make shadow last longer and appear more vibrant. The same eye look you left the house with will be the same one you return with if you use a good shadow primer.

2. If you know your photo will be taken, switch to a foundation and moisturizer without SPF in it (you should regularly use at least SPF 15 to protect yourself from harmful sun rays, but one time without it won’t hurt if you’re not in the sun for extended periods of time). Many sunscreens contain an ingredient called titanium dioxide which appears as a whitish, “ashy” appearance in photos particularly those with flash.

3. Don’t be afraid to do an extra light coating of blush–it’ll make you like vibrant and alert.

4. Make sure your brows are well groomed at all times. Nothing sets back good eye makeup more than bad brows. (See Raise a Brow and Urban Glamour New Year’s Resolutions: Get Beautiful Brows)

See also:
How to Do Your Makeup for a Photo
Foundation 101
Blush 101
All About Eyes
Makeup for Olive Toned Skin
Make Your Eyes Pop
Makeup for Dark Skinned Girls

So spill it—what were some of your makeup faux pas?

Did you know you can get your own icon on The Style and Beauty Doctor’s site by creating one on gravatar.com? Don’t feel bad if you didn’t because I just found that out like a day ago…lol.