Let's Talk About Eyebrows

Every so often one of my TV friends offers a pearl of wisdom that puts everything in perspective for me. Most recently, it was Abbi on the brilliant BROAD CITY:

"I finally figured out my eyebrows. They're sisters, not twins."

She summed up my eyebrow situation perfectly. Back in the '80s, my brows were big and bushy (just like my hair). In the '90s I plucked them into submission much like like Drew Barrymore did:

And then I passed out at the gyno and hit my forehead on the floor. I woke up in a pool of blood, still wearing the paper dress. (Good times.) The plastic surgeon did a great job sewing me up, but a couple decades later, there remains a sparse spot in my left brow left behind by the dozen stitches I got.

Fast forward to the present: I'm obsessed with eyebrows (my own and everyone else's). They really make or break a face. When they're good, a face is beautifully framed.

Here are some brows I admire (all friends, not celebs). There are some great shapes going on here, created by both nature and tweezers:

Cheapy's done some radio advertising for his business, and the sales rep (who is 18 years younger than I am and like 6 feet tall) had a habit of inappropriately wining-and-dining him and inviting him to bars where they only charge a cover for people over 25. This annoyed the hell out of me until I finally met her in person. Really bad eyebrows, people. Over-plucked and odd-shaped and just all wrong. I could never be jealous of someone with brows that bad.

I shape mine myself and use three products daily. First an eyebrow pencil, then a gel followed by a wax/powder combo. I'm not picky about pencils as long as they're the right color. (I usually just grab the Sephora brand.)

The gel I've been in love with for the last year is Benefit's Speed Brow which offers a mascara-style brush. It's easy to apply, stays on all day, and in combo with a brow pencil, takes care of my brow bald spot. I finish up with Brow Zings which magically makes things look fuller and more defined.

Benefit Speed Brow

Benefit Brow Zings

The Brow Zings packaging is getting a makeover which you'll find at your makeup counter in July.

Brow Zings' new look

I'm pretty brand loyal, but always willing to try something new. I've been test-driving Boy Brow from Glossier for a couple weeks. (Their ad on Facebook claims they have a "10,000-person waiting list.") I like it even better than Benefit's Speed Brow, which feels a little stiff when it dries. Boy Brow is easier to apply, has a softer feel, and does an even better job filling in the sparse areas. (I could get away with not using a brow pencil with this stuff.) It's my new go-to.

Glossier Boy Brow

If you have a favorite brow product, let me know in the comments so I can try it. (There have been tons of them popping up ever since Cara Delevingne brows became a thing.) And when you're out and about, pay attention to people's eyebrows. (Pretty soon, you won't be able to stop.)

Quite Possibly the Perfect Girl Day: Sex (and the City) and Shopping

A few days ago I was worried I would be going to the Sex and the City movie all alone. Then I found I had many co-workers who were almost as excited about it as I was. And last week my company instituted "summer hours" out of the blue whereby the office closes at 3 o'clock on Fridays. Suddenly there was an opening day matinée in my future with my office girlfriends!

I had to plan my outfit. I started with the shoes. I'd been waiting for the perfect occasion to debut these sequined Tahari slingbacks my sister bought me for my birthday:



I paired them with black cropped pants from the Gap and this Philip Lim top Cheapy bought me in Miami, also a birthday gift.



An oversized black and white vintage clutch I got from an eBay seller in Australia completed my outfit. (It was big enough that I could fit my makeup bag and my Entertainment Weekly issue devoted to Sex and the City which I've been reading for several weeks gearing up for the movie.)


The outfit was good; the movie was better. It was wonderful. It was satisfying. It was just right. It I'd see it again tomorrow. (And oh--the outfits!) I'm still excited about it (which is partly why I'm blogging it 5 a.m.). Choosing the matinée was a good move. There was a nice crowd, but there were plenty of open seats. When we came out, the line for the 7 p.m. showing was huge--down a hall and out through the lobby. The theater had a concessions cart set up selling goodies to the ladies in line. And there were a lot of ladies--nary a Y chromosome in site.

Eight of us saw the movie at The Mall, and afterward three of us hung around. And of course we went shoe shopping. I picked up this pair of J. Vincent animal print heels at Dillards, MSRP: $180, sale price: $29.99. This is the actual shoe on my actual foot complete with a few lovely bug bites (bugs find me delicious) and my lavender pedicure.



Next we headed off to Victoria's Secret--my friend had a free undies coupon. I don't believe I've been inside a Victoria's Secret store since the '80s. It was very busy and lacy and sheer and it scared me just a little. A bought some briefs which were five for $25. They look just like this on me:




As were were browsing undies, I found that one of my shopping companions had never been to Sephora! We had to remedy that. Plus I had new shoes and new undies--some new makeup in my bag would make it a shopping trifecta! Sephora is the ultimate girly place to shop, perfect for my day of everything girl.

I'd been going to The Mall Sephora store for ages, and shopping at the tiny Benefit diplay, and I always wondered why they didn't have a bigger selection of Benefit products. So I asked a Sephora sales person (the same one who recommended the perfect shade of Laura Mercier lipcolor to me) and she walked me over to a giant Benefit display on the other side of the store. I had no idea it was there. I bought Dandelion face powder that's the most lovely shade of pink for my fair skin. It's a fatastic blush color for me.

To top off my perfect girly day, we had some food and a round of cosmos. Because who could go to see Sex and the City and not have a round of cosmos? I bet there were a record number of this ubiquitous pink cocktail served on May 30th. I was already buzzed on the movie and the shoes and the makeup and the drink made me over-the-top joyed out. Spending two hours and fifteen delicious minutes with Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte, and a few hours at The Mall with real girls...ahh, it makes me so glad I don't have a penis.

Products & Makeup: Benefit Cosmetics

This morning a loyal (male) Material Girl reader reminded me that shopping is not just about clothing and accessories. I've been missing the entire realm that is products and makeup! So starting today I'll be periodically giving you my reviews of such products, talk about where I buy them, and alert you to sales/shipping deals/special promotions I come across.

Today I'll discuss two products from one of my favorite lines: Benefit. There are several items in their line that I simply cannot live without. When I don't use them people tend to ask me, Are you tired today? Are you feeling sick?


First up is eye bright, what What Not to Wear's Carmindy called "a face lift in a stick." Benefit gives these instructions on their website:

"Apply as your final step after you have applied all other makeup. Draw 3 to 4 short strokes in the area between the bridge of your nose and the inner corner of your eye where dark shadows linger. Also, draw a light line from the outer corner of your eye up and toward the end of your brow. Do not over blend. To keep it bright, be sure to let some pink tint linger."

Material Girl doesn't use the product this way (although I do like a dab of white eyeshadow in that between-the-eye-and-nose area. If you use one with a hint of sparkle it really bounces the light.) Having a very pale completion, I find eye bright to be a fantastic cover up for the under-eye area. It blends nicely with my skin and works wonders covering up dark circles. I dab a tiny bit of concealer on top of the eye bright and I look like I've gotten 9 hours of sleep (which never happens).

I also use eye bright on the area where other woman my age are getting Restylane injections. I blend a little of the pink eye bright in those deep smile lines and it seems to take five years off my face (a trick I picked up from Carmindy).

My other favorite Benefit product is lemon-aid. Here's Benefit's instructions:

"Swirl your finger in lemon-aid to warm the product. Apply two dots on your eyelid and one in the center of your brow bone. Pat to blend in an upward and outward motion. Need more coverage? Add another layer."

This stuff is magic. I can leave the house wearing only lemon-aid and eye bright and a touch of lip tint and I'm looking fresh and good to go. But wearing lemon-aid under eye shadow is even better. Your shadow will not budge until you take it off.

These products each retail for $18. They both last quite a long time and are definitely worth every penny.

I use several other Benefit products (such as the amazing benetint, and BADgal lash with the world's best mascara applicator brush--I've been told it's Sephora's best-selling mascara) and I've yet to try something in their line I don't like. Plus the products have clever names and darling packaging.

Your best bet for purchasing these (or most other cosmetics) is to shop at Sephora's website through the Lucky Rewards link. Also buy shoes, drugstore products, books and myriad other items through Lucky Rewards. Then one day you'll open your mailbox and--surprise!--a Lucky Rewards debit card. Free shopping money, ladies--stuff and more stuff, a win-win.