My Natural Hair: Protective Style

Kinky Twist
(warning #bareface) 

For those of my blog readers who aren't aware, I am a naturalista with fine 4c type hair.  Within the recent months, I have found my hair has not been doing so well with the harsh dry cold weather we are receiving in  Canada. Yesterday I decided to sit and finally install a quick (5 hour) protective style.  I haven't done an install on myself in over a year so I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but to my surprise, I did well and wanted to show my handy work! 

My 'perfect' attachment (planting)

Nape area (didn't do small parts to avoid tension)

My apparent 'fine' hair 

Are you having hair issues due to the harsh weather?  What steps are you using to protect your hair as much as possible?

My wearable Valentine Look and NOTD

Valentine's Day for me this year meant to keep it simple sultry and sexy (with a pop of Spring).  Here is what I came up with.

Nude Eye using different tones of brown
Lips: OCC Hoochie (no lip liner)

Lip: OCC Hoochie and MAC Heronie

Milani La Vie En Rose Polish

Did you do a Valentine look?  Leave a message and I'll definitely check it out.


Follow my instagram (@daredbeauty) for more makeup looks and Nails of the Week.

My Eyebrows

If you don't have eyebrows, you don't really have a face.

Saoirse Ronan

I have recently become obsessed with perfecting my eyebrows.  Especially since I was over waxed and desperately needed to remedy the situation for my own confidence.  With a lot of experimentation, I have finally found the 'perfect' products that make my brows look 'back to normal'.  With this new found regime, I wanted to share my finds.

Here are some before and after pictures! (excuse the lack of makeup #barefaced)

Before

After

Impressed?  So was I!

Here is a list of products I used to get my 'perfect brow'.  Oh and did I mention it doesn't budge (even with my oily skin!).

Products:

Anatasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow™ Pomade (creamy smudge-free, waterproof pomade that glides on skin and hair smoothly to create clean and defined brows) available at

Sephora/Ulta

Mac cosmetics Studio fix Concealer (I prefer to use a thicker concealer to ensure clean lines and great coverage

Annabelle Eyebrow in medium brown (allows me to get a more faded brow beginning by toning down the brow pomade)

Tools:

Tarte eyebrow brush (came with Amazonian clay waterproof brow mousse) Great double ended brush that came with a spooly on one end and angled brush on the other.  Offers great application.

Cala Brow/Liner Offers great persision for cream based products (I use this for applying the concealer)

Splurge vs. Save (Dupe Version): Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow vs. Shadow Eyez 12 Hr Wear

Top: Make Up For Ever (Aqua Shadow) in 30 E
Bottom: Milani (Shadow Eyez) Champagne Toast

One of my favourite high end makeup brands is Make Up For ever, due to the versatility in products and overall quality. With that being said, high end is always going to be pricey and today I come with a dupe to one of their popular products (with a dupe shade!).

As I was cleaning through some of my shadows and pencils I stumbled across Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow and Shadow Eyez 12 Hr Wear. When I saw them at a quick glance, it seemed to be the same colour. Yes, ladies I wasn't aware I had a hiding dupe in my stash. As much as I love makeup, I am not one for buying two of the same product! So I decided to do a quick swatch to confirm what my naked eyes already knew. And guess what? Same shade, finish and texture. I am referring specially to Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow (30E) and Shadow Eyez 12 Hr Wear (Champagne Toast).  Both shades can be described in colour as a pearly pink beige.

Let's Look in Depth

Side by side comparison! (Can you spot the difference?

Formula:

Though I consider these two dupes (very close to being identical), the Milani champagne toast has a very slight frostier finish. However has seen in the swatch above, they look the exact same when tested against my skin tone!

Longevity:

I have to say that both formulas, stand the test of time. I wore both for 10 hours and the wear of them were the same!

Packaging Details:

Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow (4 grams of product), I find aqua shadow to have a more secure cap on the pencil. Which in the long term prevents the product from drying out.
Milani Shadow Eyez 12 Hr Wear (2.8 grams of product), has a bit of softer application (applies smooth as butter!)

Final Thoughts: Definitely SAVE! If I knew I had the Milani shadow pencil in champagne toast, the Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow would've stayed on the shelf :)!



Have you ever found a dupe in your stash?